4 Sep 2008

Top-ranked Nadal goes late to reach US Open semis

6:59 pm on 4 September 2008

The tennis world number one Rafael Nadal has advanced to his first US Open semi-final with a 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory over the American Mardy Fish at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the match finishing at a quarter past two in the morning in New York.

The reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion will face the British sixth seed Andy Murray in the semi-finals at the year's last grand slam tournament.

The Spaniard has a 5-0 record against Murray and could match Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer as the only men to win three slam titles in a row in the 40-year Open era.

The other semi-final pairing will be decided tomorrow when the four-time defending champion Federer meets Luxembourg qualifier Gilles Muller and Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic faces US eighth seed Andy Roddick.