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NEW YORK -- The game that will be talked about for years and years required 198 strokes, 30 points, and 21 minutes to decide. Entire sets have taken less. It might be easy to conclude that Novak Djokovic won his tense, topsy-turvy U.S. Open semifinal against Stanislas Wawrinka despite dropping that epic third game of the fifth set. The truth is that the 2011 champion emerged with a 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in 4 hours, 9 minutes on Saturday at least in part because of the one that got away. "Even though I lost that game, I felt like, OK, hes getting a little bit more tired, and maybe this is my chance to step in," Djokovic said. "And thats what I (did)." The No. 1-seeded Djokovic will play No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Monday. Its their record 37th match against each other, their sixth Grand Slam final, and their third meeting for the championship at Flushing Meadows since 2010. Nadal was a 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 winner over No. 8 Richard Gasquet of France in Saturdays second semifinal, which was far less competitive than the first. Indeed, the tennis and theatrics at 1-all in the last set alone of Djokovic-Wawrinka were so compelling that the game was interrupted twice by standing ovations. By then, Wawrinkas strained right thigh had been taped after a medical timeout in the fourth set (he would be seized by cramps during his postmatch news conference). Still, he managed to erase five break points and navigate 12 deuces until finally delivering a 123 mph service winner to hold for a 2-1 edge. He stepped gingerly to the sideline, plopped down in his chair and smiled. That grin remained in place throughout the two-minute changeover. If the ninth-seeded Wawrinka was enjoying the moment, perhaps feeling a tad relieved, Djokovic was ever more determined. He responded by taking the next three games, propelling himself to a fourth consecutive title match at Flushing Meadows and fifth since 2007. "I was already quite tired," said Wawrinka, who won the same number of points in the match as Djokovic, 165. "I was already quite dead physically." During his on-court interview, Djokovic took the microphone and posed a question: "How long was that game?" He was told the answer, repeated it, then chuckled. "Well, I was thinking -- I guess everybody was thinking -- Whoever wins this game is going to win the match," the six-time major champion told the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. "After he won the game, I thought to myself, OK, I guess I have to fight against those odds." The current version of Djokovic, the one who recently published a book about diet and fitness, is nothing if not dogged, able to withstand even the most dire of circumstances. Its why he managed to set aside match points and come back to beat Roger Federer in the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Open semifinals. Its why he was able to beat Nadal in a 2012 Australian Open final that lasted nearly six hours. Its why he was able to win the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history. "At the end, he pushed me," Wawrinka said. "Pushed me far, far, far." Nothing quite that dramatic occurred when 12-time major champion Nadal played Gasquet, who was in his first Grand Slam semifinal since 2007. The most newsworthy moment of their match came right at the 1-hour mark, when Nadal let a forehand drift long to get broken and make it 2-all in the second set. That allowed Gasquet to become the first player to break Nadals serve in the entire tournament, ending a run of 73 holds. There were five other break points for Gasquet, but Nadal saved each while stretching his hard-court record in 2013 to 21-0. A year after missing the U.S. Open because of a bad left knee, Nadal is looking as fit and as impressive as ever. "I dont know if its a victory to (break) his serve. Im not sure about it. I think its better to win one set or more," said Gasquet, now 0-11 against Nadal. In the past, the U.S. Open was the only Grand Slam tournament to schedule the mens semifinals Saturday and the final Sunday, instead of having a day of rest in between. This year, the tournament scrapped that plan and built in an extra 24 hours. As it is, Djokovic said he "didnt find it very fair" that he needed to play at noon Saturday after finishing his quarterfinal at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Nadal and Gasquet played their quarterfinals Wednesday. "I didnt find any logic in that, to be honest," Djokovic said. "But, again, there are some other, I guess, influences that have more power than players, and this has to be changed." On Sunday, while Nadal and Djokovic rest and prepare, No. 1 Serena Williams will play No. 2 Victoria Azarenka for the womens championship. Its the first time both U.S. Open singles finals are 1-2 matchups since 1996. Nadal is 21-15 against Djokovic, but said when they play, it "becomes a very difficult match for both of us. Nadal said hed rather face a less-formidable foe, because wanting to play someone as good as Djokovic would be "stupid." Djokovic, meanwhile, called trying to beat Nadal "the biggest challenge that you can have in our sport now." Dealing with Djokovic and his sliding, arm-stretching defence is no day at the beach, either. Wearing white sunscreen slathered across his cheeks and nose on a sunny afternoon, Wawrinka produced a performance that was fairly similar to the net-rushing surprise he pulled off against defending champion Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka could sense jitters early from Djokovic, who acknowledged afterward he was nervous. That seemed odd, because Djokovic was playing in his 14th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, the second-longest streak in history, and 21st overall. Wawrinka -- long in the shadow of Federer, his Swiss Olympic teammate and good friend -- was in his first. And yet it was Djokovic who double-faulted four times as part of his 14 unforced errors in the first set, while getting broken three times. Djokovic was fraying at the edges. He hit a ball in anger after losing a point, drawing jeers from the stands. He whacked his racket against each arm after a missed backhand return. He kept chatting with his coach, Marian Vajda, and eventually was cited by the chair umpire for a code violation (coaching is not allowed during matches; Djokovic admitted he deserved the warning). When a fan called out right before he netted a backhand, Djokovic raised an arm and yelled, "Shut up!" It didnt help matters that Wawrinka kept finding the mark with his booming serves, which reached 138 mph, his effective forehand and his sweet, one-handed backhand, to the tune of 57 winners, 19 more than Djokovic. "Today I had the feeling that when I was playing my best level, I was better than him," said Wawrinka, who entered the day 2-12 against Djokovic. "But hes not No. 1 for nothing. Thats why he won the match, because he always finds a solution." Slowly but surely Djokovic found ways to bother Wawrinka, in part by forcing more errors off his forehand wing, in part by serving better himself. Wawrinka began showing signs of mental and physical fatigue. There was the problem with his right leg. He swatted a ball toward the upper deck, earning a warning, and later was docked a point for spiking his racket, picking it up and bending it over his knee to completely wreck the frame. Wawrinka egged on fans to get louder and clap longer, soaking it all in -- and getting a bit of a chance to catch his breath. Djokovic at first seemed annoyed, before he, too, waved for more noise. Two games later, a sequence of errors by Wawrinka, capped by a weary backhand, let Djokovic break for a 3-2 lead. "I managed to stay tough and play well when I needed to," Djokovic said. "Thats something that definitely encourages me before the final." http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Stefan-Savic-Jersey/ . The former Toronto FC designated player played three of his 15 professional seasons with the team. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Diego-Godin-Jersey/ . - John Elways philosophy is to address immediate needs in free agency, even though some of his own veterans may prove too pricey to keep around. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Angel-Correa-Jersey/. Now he has a complete game. Scherzer tossed a three-hitter in his 179th career start for his first complete game and Victor Martinez hit his 16th homer to lead the Detroit Tigers a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Thomas-Partey-Jersey/ . Giants manager Bruce Bochy told The Associated Press of the decision before NL West-leading San Francisco opened a 10-game homestand Monday night with the first of three games against second-place Arizona. http://www.atleticomadridpro.com/Kids-Koke-Jersey/ . Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Rain had started to fall at Kauffman Stadium as the echoing roars finally faded into the night. Eric Hosmer popped out of the dugout one last time, looked to the sky and let it soak in. It had been 29 years since the Royals played a post-season game a€” three decades spent mostly as a laughingstock. But on Tuesday night, already drenched in victory champagne, the young first baseman felt as if the whole world had watched their coming-out party. This team showed a lot of character tonight, Hosmer said. We werent going to quit. Salvador Perez singled home the winning run with two outs in the 12th inning, capping two late comebacks that gave Kansas City a thrilling 9-8 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the American League wild-card game. Quite a start to October baseball a€” even if this one appeared to be over with plenty of time to spare in September. But in a back-and-forth epic that lasted 4 hours, 45 minutes, the As lost their seventh straight winner-take-all playoff game since 2000. It was the final collapse in a season that looked so promising this summer. This will go down as the craziest game Ive ever played, said Hosmer, who sparked the final Royals rally with a one-out triple. This team showed a lot of character. No one believed in us before the game. No one believed in us before the season. Making their first post-season appearance since winning the 1985 World Series, the Royals are sticking around. Theyll open their best-of-five Division Series on the road Thursday night against the AL West champion Los Angeles Angels. After falling behind by four runs, the Royals raced back with their speed on the bases a€” they led the majors with 153 steals this season. Kansas City swiped seven in this one to tie a post-season record previously shared by the 1907 Chicago Cubs and 1975 Cincinnati Reds, according to STATS. The biggest one came in the 12th. Hosmer scored the tying run on a high chopper to third by rookie Christian Colon, who reached safely on the infield single and then stole second with two outs. Perez, who was 0 for 5 after squandering two late chances to drive in key runs, reached out and pulled a hard one-hopper past diving third baseman Josh Donaldson. Colon scored easily, and the Royals rushed out of the dugout for a mad celebration. Sitting upstairs in a suite, Royals Hall of Famer George Brett put his hands on his head in near disbelief at the frenzied and jubilant scene that was unfolding below. It was unbelievable, Perez said. The As raced out to a 7-3 lead by the sixth inning, but the Royals countered with three runs in the eighth. Nori Aokis sacrifice fly off Sean Doolittle in the ninth forced extra innings. Kansas City squandered chances in the next couple of innings, as midnight came and went on the East Coast and the tension continued to build. Rookie left-hander Brandon Finnegan, just drafted in June, pitched two scooreless innings but walked Josh Reddick to start in the 12th.dddddddddddd Pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo delivered an RBI single off Jason Frasor to put the As ahead 8-7, but Hosmer hit a drive high off the left-centre wall against Dan Otero for a leadoff triple in the bottom half, and Colon drove him in with a bouncer that barely travelled 50 feet. That set the stage for Perez, who lined a pitch from Jason Hammel down the third-base line. They finally got ahead there in the 30th inning or whatever it was, said Brandon Moss, who drove in five runs with two homers for Oakland. That was definitely the best baseball game Ive ever been a part of. The long-suffering Royals hadnt played in the post-season since beating St. Louis in the 1985 World Series, and the excitement the permeated the city might best be summed up by a statement posted by the Kansas City Police on Twitter in about the 10th inning: We really need everyone to not commit crimes and drive safely right now. Wed like to hear the Royals clinch. For the As, it was a stunning and heartbreaking finish. They had the best record in baseball before wilting in the second half, and needed a victory on the final day of the regular season just to squeeze into the playoffs. Oakland had chances to put all that in the past. Instead, the season ended abruptly for a team that has failed over and over again in the post-season. Its kind of a microcosm of the year that we had, Doolittle said. A much-anticipated pitching showdown between Oakland ace Jon Lester and Kansas City counterpart James Shields instead turned into a high-scoring game and a battle of attrition between bullpens. It was absolutely epic, Shields said. You dont write a story like that. Doolittle tried to save it for Oakland in the ninth, but he gave up a bloop single to pinch-hitter Josh Willingham. Pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson was sacrificed to second and then brashly stole third, allowing him to score on Aokis deep fly to right field. It was the third time in the last three seasons that Doolittle has blown a post-season save. Thats the most incredible game Ive ever been a part of, Royals manager Ned Yost said. Our guys never quit. We fell behind there in the fifth inning, sixth inning. They kept battling back. They werent going to be denied. It was just a great game. UP NEXT Yost has refused to discuss who he might pitch in the opener against the Angels. The two best bets are vastly different options: Danny Duffy is a young, hard-throwing lefty who plays on passion, Jeremy Guthrie is a cerebral right-hander who relies on guile. TRAINERS ROOM Oakland C Geovany Soto left the game after hurting his left thumb tagging Hosmer at the plate to end the first inning. Post-season BLUES The As havent won a playoff series since sweeping Minnesota in the 2006 ALDS. Weve had our ups and downs, catcher Derek Norris said, especially in the playoffs. 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