U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic advances to semifinals for fourth straight time
Third-seeded Novak Djokovic made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Open for the fourth straight year and he did it easily Wednesday afternoon in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open. He beat 17th-seeded Gael Monfils of France, 7-6 (2), 6-1, 6-2. The 24-year-old Monfils acted more like a 14-year-old in the contentiously windy conditions that made considered caution a better strategy than whacking big shots into the walls or the net.
While Monfils was trying flamboyant trick shots, leaping, twisting, trying to go between his legs, all at once, and to no good effect, Djokovic tried to be strategic in his approaches to the net and with his groundstrokes as the winds gusted to more than 20 mph, calmed down, then kicked up again.
Djokovic has lost to Roger Federer here the last three years -- in the finals in 2007 and in the semifinals the last two years. He will play the winner of Wednesday night's match between Federer and fifth-seeded Robin Soderling in the semifinals this year.
-- Diane Pucin in New York
