Da gazzetta.it
from Eurosport.com
In a match of high quality where no quarter was given, Serena trailed 5-2 in the second set tiebreak before clawing her way back to seal victory in two hour 25 minutes.
Twice champion Serena, the fourth seed, saved eight set points in the second set before seventh-seeded Venus hit a forehand long to surrender the match.
"It definitely felt like a final of the US Open, it was so hard," a breathless Serena said. "I can't believe I won it. Wow!
"It is difficult, mostly because she is such a great player. She was serving balls at 125, 127 mph and I just tried to stay with her."
Serena, who edged ahead 9-8 in overall meetings between the siblings, will next meet sixth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina for a place in the final.
Watched by a capacity crowd of 23,000 in the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the evening contest, Venus made a confident start in the opening set.
Unleashing an array of devastating groundstrokes, the 28-year-old set up a break point in the third game of the match which she converted via a fortunate net cord.
Serving for the set at 5-4, she was then broken by her sister who clenched her right fist in celebration after forcing an error from Venus with a rasping forehand down the line.
After the next two games went with serve, Venus seized an early advantage in the tiebreak to lead 6-4 before Serena fought back to clinch the opening set in 66 minutes.
Venus again took the initiative in the second set, breaking Serena in the sixth game to open up a commanding 5-3 lead.
With the set seemingly within her grasp, she streaked into a 40-love lead on serve before inexplicably squandering three set points with a vulnerable backhand.
Serena, who had been pinning her sister to the baseline with deep groundstrokes, earned a breakpoint which she won when Venus narrowly hit a backhand wide of the line.
The second set also went into a tiebreak and again the big-serving Venus appeared to be in control, earning a standing ovation after she won a protracted rally to take a 5-2 lead.
Serena, champion here in 1999 and 2002, refused to buckle and, with Venus beginning to lose control of her groundstrokes, the younger sister finally booked her place in the last four.
Da datasport.it
AGM-DS) - 04/09/2008 9.17.08 - (AGM-DS) - Milano, 4 settembre - Rafael Nadal si e` qualificato per le semifinali dell`US Open di tennis. Lo spagnolo, numero 1 del mondo, ha battuto, in un match finito alle 2 di notte locale, lo statunitense Mardy Fish, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Dopo un primo set giocato sotto tono, il maiorchino ha ripreso a macinare il suo gioco devastante, con colpi potenti e precisi che hanno sotterrato il povero avversario. `Sono molto ansioso e onorato di giocare per la prima volta nella mia carriera la finale dell`US Open - ha detto a fine gara Nadal -. Adesso mi devo concentrare gia` sulla prossima sfida`.
La strada verso la prima finale americana del 22enne iberico, gia` vincitore del Roland Garros, Wimbledon e dell`oro olimpico, vedra` Nadal sfidare il britannico Andy Murray, testa di serie n.6 del tabellone, che si e` qualificato per le semifinali mettendo fine alla serie di 23 vittorie consecutive dell`argentino Juan Manuel Del Potro, n.17 del seeding. Murray si e` imposto in quattro set (7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 il punteggio) e in quattro ore di gioco. Ma ora cerchera` l`impresa piu` probante: quella di sconfiggere Nadal, capace di vincere 54 delle ultime 56 partite (gli ultimi ko sono arrivati contro Juan Carlos Ferrero a Roma e da Novak Djokovic a Cincinnati). Praticamente un treno in corsa.
I risultati dei quarti di finale:
Andy Murray (GBR/N.6) b. Juan Manuel Del Potro (ARG/N.17) 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 7-5
Rafael Nadal (SPA/N.1) b. Mardy Fish (USA) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
from Eurosport.com
In a match that started on Wednesday and did not finish until 2.10am local time on Thursday, world number one Nadal drowned out the deafening roars on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
"The night atmosphere here is always amazing here but I prefer to finish a little earlier," a beaming Nadal said court-side after securing a last-four showdown with Britain's Andy Murray.
"Thanks everyone for being here until two o'clock."
After overcoming a first-set hiccup, a merciless Nadal was steaming towards victory but was suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Serving at 3-2 in the fourth set, Nadal was distracted by a male fan who shouted out from the stands while the Spaniard was in full flight of his service motion.
Sportingly, Fish immediately stopped the point and then play was held up for several minutes as a security official went to deal with the offending fan.
Once the umpire had reminded the crowd of the etiquette of staying quiet during points, normal service resumed and a rampaging Nadal won the next three games, sealing victory when Fish sailed a the ball long.
At 2.10am, the finish was just 16 minutes short of the US Open record for the latest finish in New Yor
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