World No 1 Novak Djokovic takes on ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinkaat the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the first semi-final of the 2013 US Open men's singles. The Serb is in pursuit of his seventh Grand Slam title, while the Swiss makes his first ever semi-final appearance in the event.

Novak Djokovic
Reuters

Where to Watch Live

The match starts at 5pm BST, with Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD 1 providing live coverage. You can also catch all the scores and updates, in real time, from the tournament's official web site.

This clash will be followed by the second men's semi-final, between Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet.

Overview

Djokovic enters the last four after winning a four-set match against 21st seed Russian Mikhail Youzhny on Thursday, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. That was the only match in this tournament the 26-year-old dropped a set as he has been imperious so far against his unseeded opponents.

Meanwhile, Wawrinka produced the biggest upset of the tournament on Thursday, beating defending champion and British No 1 Andy Murray in straight sets: 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Prior to that, the 28-year-old had two four-set matches in his journey to the this stage and encountered some tough times, especially against Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych.

Player Comparison

Both are aggressive baseline players. Djokovic is one of few all-court players in the contemporary game, while Wawrinka can be a tough opponent to face on hard and clay courts.

Djokovic's return of serve and groundstrokes remain his biggest weapons, while his service, movement and backhand have improved greatly in recent years and now matches the best in the sport. The Serb also possesses a strong defence and has great agility, court coverage and reflexes, allowing him to find winners from seemingly defensive positions.

Stanislas Wawrinka
Reuters

Wawrinka, on the other hand, has one of the best single-handed backhands in the game, just like his much-decorated compatriot Roger Federer. The Swiss has a solid serve and a power-packed forehand but - unlike Djokovic - he sometimes lacks the mental strength to win big matches.

Head-to-Head

Djokovic leads the ATP Head-to-Head 12-2, having won the past 11 meetings against Wawrinka. The World No1 also emerged winner in their first two pre-ATP meetings back in 2004 and 2005, in the Challenger and the Australian Open qualifiers.

US Open History

This is Djokovic's seventh consecutive semi-final appearance at the Flushing Meadows, having triumphed in 2011, beating then-defending champion Rafael Nadal in four sets. This is Wawrinka's first semi-final appearance in a Grand Slam singles semi, his previous record at the US Open being his run to the quarter-finals in 2010.