On the heels of an ultra-shocking duo of women's semifinals Friday afternoon at the 2015 U.S. Open, the top seeds on the men's side apparently got the memo.Instead of the upsets from earlier Friday setting the tone for the night contests, the top-seeded men's stars raised their games to stiff challenges. The pair of expected victories set up an exhilarating matchup for Sunday's final that pits two of the game's living legends.Here's a look at how Friday night's play in Arthur Ashe Stadium went down.2015 U.S. Open Men's SemifinalsNo. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 9 Marin CilicMarin Cilic's title defense in Flushing Meadows lasted all the way until the semifinal round, but his defense Friday night came and went in what felt like an instant.The Croatian fell quietly in a straight-sets drubbing from top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who won the match 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 and looking more and more in control of the match with each passing point.Cilic finished just 2-of-10 in his own service games for the match and struggled even worse in the return game. He won just 23 percent of his return points, as opposed to a dominating 61 percent from Djokovic.Cilic suffered an obvious ankle injury in the round of 16 that was troubling him throughout the match, but there was no mistaking Djokovic was unbeatable anyway, as tennis journalist Craig Gabriel reported:Djokovic's business-like performance mirrored something you would expect to see in the first round of a major or perhaps even tune-up play before a match. Djokovic simply had Cilic's number from the get-go.As a result, one of the most one-sided outings in semifinal history took place, as Tennis View Magazine's Chris Skelton noted:Even if Cilic had been 100 percent and fully on his game (which he obviously wasn't), there was no denial that Djokovic would have prevailed anyway. He's now 14-0 against Cilic and embarking on one of the greatest single seasons ever after winning two of the three Grand Slams so far in 2015.If he wins Sunday, Djokovic will have as many titles on the year as Serena Williams. That begged the following question fromSports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim:Cilic was able to avoid the surging Serbian on his way to his first-ever major title here last year, but he didn't have the same luckor good healththis time around. The fact that he made it into the final four defending his title is commendable.With that said, Djokovic has been virtually unbeatable in Grand Slam settings this year.No. 2 Roger Federer def. No. 5 Stan WawrinkaThe night cap featured an all-Swiss semifinal between two of the game's best players. This one had to be more evenly matched and competitive. Right'Not quite. Roger Federer dispatched his fellow countryman in a workmanlike performance resemblant of Djokovic's dismantling of Cilic. He took the match 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 and looked in control throughout.Wawrinka simply couldn't establish his powerful backhand and baseline play that make him so great. Federer, used to facing Wawrinka in 19 previous matches, forced him into short, quick points that left the 30-year-old unable to play his game.Running all the way through the tournament thus far on straight sets, Federer has done something he hasn't accomplished since 2009, as Portuguese journalist Jose Morgado noted:The great moments are still coming for Federer, even as he's certainly past his prime, but their regularity hasn't drained his thankfulness for getting this far. He reflected on his roots after the match, asNew York Times' Christopher Clarey noted:Before Federer had even wrapped up Friday night's match, the thought creeped into patrons heads about the prospect of another dream-like Grand Slam final meeting. With Federer and Djokovic both advancing to the final, they'll meet once again with a major title on the line.They've faced each other more than a dozen times in Grand Slams already, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:While Federer is to be lauded for his solid performance, Wawrinka will head home regretting missed opportunities. A whopping 30 unforced errors contributed to his downfall, and a more consistent outing would have given him a better shot.He can rest on his laurels after adding a major to his tally for the second straight year, but Federer is looking for his first since 2012and 18th overall. But in order to get there, he'll have to go through Djokovic in a best-of-five showdown.
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