With ominous clouds overhead and the sort of hardcourt that has troubled him this season underfoot, Roger Federer sensed something he hadn't in quite a while on Saturday.

He was playing exactly like that guy named Roger Federer.

The Federer who has won 33 consecutive matches and four consecutive championships at the US Open. The Federer closing in on his 13th grand slam title.

''One more match,'' he said, ''is all I need.''

Only after Federer finished restoring order to his world by dismissing Serb Novak Djokovic 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 did Tropical Storm Hanna carry chaos to Flushing Meadows, dumping enough rain to suspend the other men's semi-final in progress and postpone the women's final.

So Serena Williams will seek her third US Open and ninth major title against first-time Grand Slam event finalist Jelena Jankovic today.

The men's final was delayed to Monday for the first time since 1987, giving Federer plenty of time to rest. He also was going to be able to do some scouting on Sunday when his nemesis, new No1 Rafael Nadal, was to resume his semi-final against No6 Andy Murray from Scotland. They stopped on Saturday with Murray leading 6-2, 7-6 (5), 2-3.

The winner will face a Federer who looked confident and competent against Djokovic in their rematch of the 2007 final.

''I had moments out there where I really felt, 'This is how I normally play on hardcourt' half-volleys, passing shots, good serving, putting the pressure on, playing with the wind, using it to my advantage,'' Federer, who produced 20 aces and only one double fault, said.

He dominated the opening set and the last 112 sets to reach his 13th final in the past 14 Grand Slam tournaments. The one gap in that span was the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic upset Federer in the semi-finals en route to his only major title.

Perhaps that gave Federer extra motivation.