Wawrinka within a set of winning U.S. Open final

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Third seed Stan Warwinka won the third set from top-seeded defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-5 to move within one set of victory in the U.S. Open men's final on Sunday. The 31-year-old Swiss led 6-7(1) 6-4 7-5 in a big-hitting match of long tense rallies and brilliant shot-making. The finalists traded breaks in the third set with Warwinka striking first in the second game for a 2-0 lead, before Djokovic, who had been 2-of-12 on converting break point chances, cashed one in to bring the set back on serve at 3-2. But as happened in the first two sets, Wawrinka was able to break the world number one late in the set this time ending it after Djokovic sent a backhand long and then a backhand wide. Earlier, Wawrinka made it one set apiece by winning the second set. After dropping the first-set tiebreak 7-1, the Swiss ratcheted up the pressure on the Serb and broke Djokovic in the fourth game on a backhand winner to claim a 3-1 lead. Wawrinka consolidated the break by fighting off triple break point from 0-40 in the fifth game, and holding with an ace and an inside-out forehand winner. Djokovic made good on his next chance to break, bringing the set back on serve when Wawrinka sailed a forehand long to make it 4-3. The set appeared headed for another tiebreaker, but Wawrinka ended it in the 10th game, as errors plagued the Serb and a forehand wide ended it in the third seed's favour. FIRST-SET DECIDER Australian and French Open Djokovic won the last five points of the first-set decider, clinching the last three points on a pair of Wawrinka groundstroke errors and a long serve return. The Serbian dominated the set early, seizing a quick lead by breaking Wawrinka on his first service game for 2-0, winning from deuce as Wawrinka missed a forehand and netted a backhand. Trailing 2-5, the Swiss fought off two set points in the eighth game, finally holding serve with winners from each side. Wawrinka brought the set back on serve in the next game, taking an 0-40 lead and clinching the break on a Djokovic double fault that made it 5-4 and the set went on serve to the tiebreak. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina)