NEW YORK -- He is already the worlds No. 1 player with a spectacular skill set currently unmatched in all of tennis.But as if he needed it, Novak Djokovic has another thing going for him heading into the Sunday mens final:The gift of time -- time not spent on court.Djokovic has played only 13 sets, and a total of 118 games. This puts him on a record pace for fewest sets and games in an Open era major that featured a 128-man draw and only best-of-five-set matches.Defeating No. 10 seed Gael Monfils in a crazy, topsy-turvy match, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, required some extra attention but, despite some late cramping in hot and humid conditions, Djokovic still has an advantage.Although Djokovic came in with nagging injuries -- a sore left wrist and a right arm -- he had some historic good fortune in his journey to the semifinals.The quirky Frenchman, employing the unusual tactic of appearing not to try, made it far more interesting than anticipated. He charged back from a 5-0 deficit in the first, then won five straight games after trailing 2-0 in the third.At times in decisive, tense moments, we had many exchanges form the baseline, Djokovic said in his on-court interview. Gael is very entertaining to watch, a very charismatic guy. I do sincerely hope all you guys enjoyed our battle today.Djokovic did not come close to criticizing Monfils style of play.By contrast, Le Monf had not dropped a set coming into the match, but ultimately played 19 sets and 178 games.Djokovic benefited from three injured opponents: Jiri Vesely (withdrew), Mikhail Youzhny (retired) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (retired).Some more takeaways from the strange match:The old rope-a-dope: After Djokovic won those first five games, Monfils began hitting casual, uninspired returns, which set Djokovic off. He let four set points get away. Ive seen strategy changes, ESPN analyst John McEnroe said on the air, but this tops everything. Even Sigmund Freud above couldnt figure this out. This is bordering on unprofessional. The only reason Im saying borderline is because its working. This is one of the craziest matches Ive ever seen.The shirt off his back: Even before Monfils walked off with the third set, Djokovic had torn his stylish white Uniqlo shirt out of frustration. He had completely shredded it and taken it off by the time he got to the changeover chair. Why did he do it? I keep asking myself the same question, he said, laughing. Sometimes you dont have answer. Sometimes it just happens in the heat of the moment. Monfils unpredictable behavior, serial serve-and-volleys, stalling, inconsistent effort and variety of questionable tactics that even included a left-handed forehand, affected Djokovics concentration and allowed Monfils back into the match.A ridiculous get: This is what separates Djokovic from the field: In the fourth game of the fourth set, Djokovic sprinted forward to collect a Monfils drop shot, then raced back to the opposite corner. He slid and stretched mightily to hit a cross-court forehand that just eluded Monfls. Two points later, Djkovic converted a break point and took an insurmountable 3-1 lead.Singular success: Lost in the Monfils histrionics, was another remarkably consistent effort by Djokovic, who reached his 19th Grand Slam singles final of the last 25 played. Put another way, Djokovic has missed only six major finals in the past six-plus years.Sweet summer, nonetheless: Monfils, 30, finishes his hard-court season with a 19-3 record, also losing to Djokovic in the Toronto semifinals and to Kei Nishikori in the Olympic quarterfinals. He is, however, 1-16 against world No. 1s.A lucky 13: Djokovic has now beaten Monfils in each of their 13 meetings. The only opponent with a worse record? Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open winner, is 0-14 against Djokovic. Cheap Hydro Flask For Sale . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Discount Hydro Flask . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. http://www.discounthydroflaskcheap.com/ .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Hydro Flask Sale . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Hydro Flask Clearance . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Washington got everyones attention last week with a lopsided win over then-No. 7 Stanford.The fifth-ranked Huskies were able to clear that very sizable hurdle in the Pac-12 North, but now comes more tall timber. Yes, Oregon is struggling, but Washington has lost 12 consecutive games in this Northwest rivalry -- and only one of those defeats was closer than 17 points.That came last season when Oregon won 26-20 in Seattle.It is on, Washington defensive end Joe Mathis said of facing Oregon. We have to get some work in and get ready.The programs are headed in very opposite directions as they prepare to meet in Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.The Huskies (5-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) are coming off a 44-6 victory over Stanford and are ranked in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive week, their longest such stretch since a nine-week stint during the 2000 season. The Ducks (2-3, 0-2) have lost three consecutive games and will be trying to avoid their first four-game losing streak since the end of the 2006 season.Washingtons defense, filled with projected future pros such as safety Budda Baker, cornerback Sidney Jones and linebacker Azeem Victor, leads the Pac-12 by allowing 12.8 points per game. The Huskies are second in total defense, yielding 299.2 yards per game.Washington managed to subdue Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey last week, holding him to only 47 yards on 12 carries. Stanford managed only 29 yards on 30 carries, including eight sacks. Outside linebacker Psalm Wooching had three sacks and forced a fumble, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.Meanwhile, Washingtons offensive line didnt allow a sack to Stanford.When those stats are like that, they can kind of be a little misleading in terms of sometimes things just start to happen and then they snowball and you get a couple extra ones and stuff, said Washington third-year coach Chris Petersen.But we were really pleased with how hard and how effective our lines played. They protected Jake (Browning) well and we were able to run the ball. On the other side, we really squeezed the pocket. I think anytime your lines play at a really high level, youve got a good chance to win.Browning, a sophomore, ranks second nattionally in passing efficiency with a rating of 196.dddddddddddd3. Against Stanford last week, he completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 210 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.He will be taking aim at a struggling Oregon defense. The Ducks allowed an average of 43 points in losses to Nebraska, Colorado and Washington State. The Cougars had 651 yards of total offense in a 51-33 win over the Ducks on Saturday.I think everybody has to dig it out and compete at the end of the day, said Oregon junior linebacker A.J. Hotchkins.Getting 50 put up on us is not a good thing, but we cant put that on anyone but ourselves. At the end of the day, we need to compete every play, not just when you want to or just in the second or third quarter. It has to be the whole game.Oregons run defense continues to get worse. In the past three weeks, Nebraska ran for 228 yards, Colorado had 260 on the ground and WSU finished at 280, its most in a conference game since 2005.You look them in the eye to make sure we still have their hearts and minds, which we do and we will, said Oregon coach Mark Helfrich. Then you move forward.The Ducks have scored at least 32 points in every game this season, so the offense should provide a challenge for the Husky defense.Running back Royce Freeman had 138 yards and three touchdowns against Washington State to pass Kenjon Barner and move into second place in school history with 3,664 rushing yards. Freeman has rushed for 307 yards in two previous meetings with Washington.Hes as good as there is in the country, without question, Petersen said. He backs it up every week.Oregon senior quarterback Dakota Prukop threw for just 132 yards against the Cougars and was intercepted once. Freshman Justin Herbert came in and threw for 70 yards in the fourth quarter. Helfrich said Monday that Prukop would remain his starter for this weeks big game, although he wasnt as committed to that on Tuesday.I mean, were still competing, Helfrich was quoted as saying by The Oregonian. Were still competing.Multiple media outlets reported that Herbert will be the starter against the Huskies. ' ' '