NEW YORK — Defending champion Novak Djokovic swept into his third consecutive US Open final, setting up a title showdown with Britain's Andy Murray, with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain's David Ferrer Sunday. Ferrer had led 5-2 in the first set overnight when the semifinal was suspended due to violent storms which battered New York, but Djokovic thrived under clear blue skies Sunday, allowing the Spaniard just eight more games. The victory gave the second-seeded Serb a year-leading 60th win and extended his winning run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 27 matches. Djokovic will be aiming for a sixth major in Monday's final while third-seed Murray, who trails the Serb 8-6 in career meetings, is bidding to become Britain's first men's Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Victory by the Serb in the championship match would mean 30 out of the last 31 majors have been won by either Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. “We were all praying for less wind today. He handled it better than I did yesterday but I came into today a different player,” said Djokovic. “Against Andy, there will be no clear favorite. He's going for a first Grand Slam and will be very motivated. Hopefully we will both come up with our best tennis.” It has been a season of firsts for Scotsman Murray, who reached a Wimbledon final and won the Olympic tennis gold medal at the All-England Club. The last tick off on his 2012 wish list is now within tantalizing reach as Murray's 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 win in the US Open semifinals Saturday against Czech Tomas Berdych put him within one victory of becoming the first Briton in 76 years to win a men's Grand Slam singles crown. Not since Fred Perry claimed the US nationals title in 1936 has a British man triumphed in a Slam and Murray will be gunning to end that streak when he faces Djokovic. “It's the last thing that I really want to achieve in my career,” Murray said of the title. Murray has come up short in four previous Grand Slam finals. His first championship match was at the US Open in 2008 where he lost to Roger Federer, and his latest near miss came after a rousing final against Federer at Wimbledon, where he was the first Briton to play for the title since Bunny Austin in 1938. The Scotsman returned to the All England Club the next month to sweep past Federer in the London 2012 gold medal match and finally taste triumph on the famed center court. “Winning the Olympics did, for me, take a bit of the pressure off. I did feel a lot better after that. Maybe I had less doubts about myself and my place in the game just now. “But winning a major is the last thing that I really want to do. It means a lot to me. You saw obviously at Wimbledon how much that meant to me,” Murray said about his emotional speech after having to settle for the consolation prize. “It's obviously not easy to lose another Slam final, so I hope this one is a different story.” Despite dealing with debris blown on the court, including a chair with towels and a bag sliding across from the sidelines, wind-blown service tosses and his own hat flying off in mid-point to the ultimate cost of a service break, Murray showed his skills by making only 20 unforced errors in the four-hour match. Berdych, lacking the finesse of the sweet-swinging Scotsman, committed 64 errors in a gaping disparity. — Agencies
