NEW YORK: Stan Wawrinka outslugged Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori 4-6 7-5 6-4 6-2 in energy-sapping humidity at Flushing Meadows on Friday to set up a US Open final against world number one Novak Djokovic.

The third-seeded Swiss ftook a while to get untracked as 2014 US Open runner-up Nishikori played a near flawless opening set of the semi-final with just two errors.

The Japanese broke Wawrinka to start the second set, but the Swiss started rolling after breaking back in the fourth game and Nishikori, who went five tough sets to upset second seed Andy Murray in a four-hour quarter-final, began to wither.

Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open winner and 2015 French Open champion, broke Nishikori in the last game of the second, third and fourth sets to reach his first US Open final.