U.S. Open Capsules: Nadal beats Verdasco to reach U.S. Open semifinals
NEW YORK (AP) — At the start, Rafael Nadal would say later, he was "scared" by the wind.
He actually lost a service game. After one error, he slapped himself on the thigh. After another, he put his hands on his hips and stared at the spot where his shot went awry.
By the end, Nadal was as good as ever, even hitting a spinning, no-look, half-volley as he moved one step closer to the only Grand Slam title he hasn't won.
The top-seeded Nadal quickly figured out how to handle the wind that has plagued the tournament, got his serve in gear after being broken for the only time in five matches, and beat No. 8 Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Thursday night in the first all-Spanish quarterfinal in U.S. Open history.
Now Nadal heads to a third consecutive semifinal at Flushing Meadows. He lost in that round to Andy Murray in 2008, and to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro in 2009; he never has been to a U.S. Open final.
"Right now, for me, it's a very, very nice feeling to be in (the) semifinals for the third time in a row, for one of the most important tournaments in the world," Nadal said in an on-court interview. "For me, probably right now, the most important."
That's because he is trying to complete a career Grand Slam at age 24 by earning a U.S. Open trophy to put alongside the eight total he owns from the French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open.
On Saturday, Nadal will face 12th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia for a spot in the final.
"For me, being in the semifinals is amazing," Nadal said, "but I have to keep going and keep playing better if I really want to have chances to be in the finals."
In Saturday's other semifinal, No. 2 Roger Federer will face No. 3 Novak Djokovic; they won their quarterfinals Wednesday. Federer owns a record 16 Grand Slam titles, including five at the U.S. Open, and has faced Nadal in at least one final at each of the three other major tournaments.
"For sure, Roger is the favorite," said Nadal, who has won his last 19 Grand Slam matches, including titles in 2010 at the French Open and Wimbledon.
As was the case for many matches in recent days, the wind was swirling inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. During Nadal's 11th victory in 11 career matchups against Davis Cup teammate Verdasco, it regularly topped 15 mph, with gusts reaching 25 mph, and the temperature — consistently in the 90s in Week 1 — dipped to 65 degrees.
"I started very scared, when I was playing with the wind, and against the wind, too," Nadal said. "I was playing too aggressive, because I was scared."
Neither player seemed pleased by the conditions, and Verdasco looked up at his guest box in the second game after hitting one of his six double-faults.
"It was very difficult even to make the toss of the ball," Verdasco would say later.
In the third game, he played some terrific sliding, stretching defense during a 20-stroke exchange he capped with a backhand passing winner to earn a break point. He converted that — ending Nadal's streak of consecutive holds in New York at 62. But Verdasco never got another chance to really rattle Nadal, who has won all 15 sets he's played at this U.S. Open and 76 of 77 games he's served.
In the very early going, Verdasco played the brand of point-extending, opponent-dispiriting defense that Nadal is so well-known for. But Nadal broke back to get to 4-all, thanks to Verdasco's two double-faults in a row, and suddenly was seeming more and more comfortable.
Nadal broke Verdasco for a second time in the last game of the opening set thanks to a volley winner at the end of a 20-stroke exchange. By late in the third set, Nadal was pulling out all the tricks, even that spectacular half-volley when he put the racket on the ball with his back to the net.
Youzhny's only previous trip to the semifinals at any Grand Slam tournament came at the 2006 U.S. Open, and he made it there by upsetting Nadal in the quarterfinals.
"It's another time, and I'm, like, another player," Youzhny said. "I cannot say I am (a) better player now, but it's another time and other opponent, so everything can happen."
He hit fewer aces and fewer winners, needed treatment on his right foot in the fifth set — and still managed to come back and beat No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 3-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in four hours earlier Thursday.
"Maybe I was just a bit luckier than him," Youzhny said.
The last time Nadal and Verdasco met at a Grand Slam tournament, in the 2009 Australian Open semifinals, they set a tournament record by playing for 5 hours, 14 minutes. Thursday's match lasted less than 2½ hours, in part because Nadal played so cleanly, making only 16 unforced errors; Verdasco made 41.
Verdasco called it "impossible" to play the aggressive tactics he needs to use "to have chances to beat Rafa."
The outcome basically was settled in the sixth game of the second set, when Nadal broke to lead 4-2 with a delicate-as-can-be drop volley that Verdasco barely reached and couldn't get in play. Nadal jumped and punched the air and had to know there was no longer any chance of the sort of upset Youzhny pulled off four years ago.
Nothing seemed to rattle Youzhny on Thursday. He dealt with a deficit, a problem with his right foot, and the wind that made it tough to control strokes — Wawrinka made 71 unforced errors, Youzhny 57. That helped Youzhny overcome Wawrinka's advantages in aces (13-2) and winners (48-35). Both men won 154 points.
Youzhny also never was rattled by all the noise going on near the court as Wawrinka was supported exuberantly by his entourage. On pretty much every significant point won by Wawrinka, the black-clad, sunglasses-wearing bunch in his guest box would stand up, applaud, yell and trade fist bumps. The celebrations were led from the front row by Wawrinka's coach, Peter Lundgren — who used to work with Federer and helped him win his first Wimbledon championship.
Now everyone will be thinking past the semifinals in New York, and looking forward to Sunday's final, and the tantalizing prospect of No. 1 Nadal vs. No. 2 Federer, with another major championship on the line. They have played in seven Grand Slam finals — three at Wimbledon, three at the French Open and, most recently, at the 2009 Australian Open — with Nadal holding a 5-2 edge.
Even Verdasco was looking ahead, predicting a Nadal-Federer final — and picking his fellow Spaniard to lose.
"If I had to bet here, I will be for Roger," Verdasco said. "He won five times here, and he likes these conditions."
First, of course, Federer must beat Djokovic, and Nadal must beat Youzhny.
Asked if he'll try to be a spoiler, Youzhny replied: "Yeah, I'm ready to be bad person. I love to be bad person in this case."
Williams meets Clijsters in semi showdown at Open
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether it's starting a family or starting a business, Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams have figured out how to make life about more than hitting a fuzzy yellow ball.
As for that tennis part — well, things are going pretty well there, too.
In the featured semifinal at the U.S. Open on Friday, Clijsters tries to stay on track for her second straight title after a 2½-year layoff during which she got married and had a baby girl, Jada. Not a bad second act.
The 27-year-old Belgian is trying to become the first woman to go back-to-back at Flushing Meadows since Williams did it in 2000-01.
No woman has had a nine-year gap in between titles at the U.S. Open. The fact that Williams has a chance could be proof that diversification in life — she's been both praised and criticized for business interests that keep her away from the court — has kept the seven-time major winner fresh at the "old" age of 30.
There have been injuries mixed in there, as well, including a twisted left kneecap that kept her from practicing in the lead-up to this year's U.S. Open.
"I think obviously the way that she's been playing and the way that she has mentally looked, I think it's maybe been even been good for her to have been away for that long," Clijsters said. "Because she looks more hungry than ever."
The winner of No. 2 Clijsters vs. No. 3 Williams will play for the title against either No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki or No. 7 Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva is trying to make her second Grand Slam final of the year while Wozniacki is going for a repeat trip to the final at Flushing, where she lost to Clijsters last year.
Wozniacki, a 20-year-old from Denmark, got the first seed when Williams' sister, Serena, was forced to withdraw because of an injury. She has more than answered any questions about her worthiness of the top seed, not dropping a set in her first five matches.
She's been called a "wall" and a "backboard." Pressured by her unrelenting ability to get balls back, Wozniacki's opponents have averaged 33 unforced errors.
She "retrieves a lot of balls," said Maria Sharapova, who lost to Wozniacki in the fourth round. And then, Sharapova said, "When she had the opportunity to step in, she took it and went for her shots."
Aggressive play, of course, has been the trademark of the Williams sisters for years. As top players tried to catch up to stay competitive, women's tennis turned into a power game, and when Clijsters returned after her break, she was greeted by a different style of play — but one she adjusted to rather quickly.
Her trip to last year's U.S. Open was designed mainly as a tuneup, the thought went, so that when she began her comeback in earnest in 2010, she'd know what to expect. Next thing she knew, she was in the middle of a championship celebration at center court, scooping the trophy in one hand, her daughter in the other. Her 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 win over Venus Williams in the fourth round may have been the first, best sign that Clijsters had a legitimate chance.
"Just the ability to compete," Williams said when asked what impressed her most about Clijsters. "I think in coming back from her layoff, I think she never lost that. Obviously, she's a very good athlete. When you're a really, really incredible athlete, it really takes your game to another level. So definitely it takes some special kind of God-given talent."
Their lifetime series is tied at 6-6 and Clijsters is 2-0 since her comeback, including the win here last year.
Clijsters has earned more than $17 million in prize money over a career that began in 1997. Williams' lifetime earnings are at more than $27 million.
For Williams, it's great seed money to start her own interior design company, V Starr Interiors, join her sister in buying a piece of the Miami Dolphins and start her own fashion line. The tennis dresses she designed for the U.S. Open are a tribute to New York. All have sequins on material that looks like velvet, and every day, Venus comes out in a different colored dress.
She designed seven of them, which happens to be the number of matches it takes to win the whole thing.
Will she get to wear them all?
"Well, I want to be in the final, because then obviously it's just one more step," Williams said. "But I'm just focused on the semis, and I don't get too excited unless the tournament is over."
-- Eddie Pells
Huber, Bob Bryan win U.S. Open mixed doubles title
NEW YORK (AP) — Top-seeded Americans Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan won their second Grand Slam title in mixed doubles Thursday.
The pair beat Kveta Peschke of Czech Republic and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 6-4 in the U.S. Open final.
Bryan and Qureshi will face each other again Friday in the men's doubles final, two competitors with much mutual respect. The American said during Thursday's trophy ceremony that his charitable foundation, which he runs with doubles partner and twin brother Mike, was donating money to Pakistani flood relief.
"Those guys are great guys," Bryan said of Qureshi and teammate Rohan Bopanna of India. "Everyone in the locker room likes them. Just hearing about the problem, talked about it with my brother and my dad, and just wanted to do it."
The floods have swallowed up hundreds of villages and towns and killed more than 1,700 people. Another 17 million have been affected.
"Every little bit helps," Qureshi said. "I've been trying to send some good news back home from here for two weeks. ... It's a really, really kind gesture. I owe them."
Told he could pay the Bryans back by giving them the men's doubles title, Qureshi joked, "I gave him the mixed doubles title today."
Win or lose Friday, it's been a highly successful tournament for Qureshi. He reached the two finals — unseeded in mixed doubles, seeded 16th in men's.
"I've spent the last 14 years trying to put tennis in the spotlight in my country," the 30-year-old Qureshi said. "Cricket's like a religion there. This moment is like a highlight in my career. When I was growing up, I thought maybe someday I could win a Grand Slam or make it to one Grand Slam final. But two Grand Slam finals in a week? It's unbelievable."
And now Peschke is by far the most popular Czech in Pakistan.
"Every time there's a report about me, her picture is up there with me," he said. "People have been coming up to me asking how to pronounce her name, because they pronounce it differently on every TV show.
"To be honest," he added. "I don't know how to pronounce it, either."
For the record, it's KVE-tuh PESH-keh.
Huber and Bryan also won last year's French Open. Huber, who was born in South Africa, became an American citizen in 2007.
Huber and Russia's Nadia Petrova, seeded second, are in the women's doubles semifinals.
The Bryan brothers are famous for their high-flying chest-bumping celebrations. That doesn't translate well to mixed doubles.
"He wants to chest bump, chest bump, chest bump," Huber said with a laugh. "I'm like, no. Do it with your girlfriend; don't chest bump me."
-- Rachel Cohen
U.S. Open Glance
NEW YORK (AP) — A look at Thursday's play at the $22.7 million U.S. Open tennis championships:
WEATHER: Mostly overcast and breezy with occasional peeks of sun. High of 71.
ATTENDANCE: Day: 22,297. Night: 23,823. Total: 46,120.
MEN'S RESULTS: Quarterfinals: No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny beat No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the afternoon. In the evening session, No. 1 Rafael Nadal beat No. 8 Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
WOMEN'S RESULTS: No matches.
MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan beat Kveta Peschke and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, 6-4, 6-4.
ON COURT FRIDAY: Women, Semifinals: No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki vs. No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, followed by No. 2 Kim Clijsters vs. No. 3 Venus Williams.
STAT OF THE DAY: 18-7. Mikhail Youzhny's record at the U.S. Open. Youzhny, who has never advanced past the quartefinals at any of the other Grand Slams, advanced to his second Open semifinal. The other came in 2006.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I've spent the last 14 years trying to put tennis in the spotlight in my country. Cricket's like a religion there. This moment is like a highlight in my career. When I was growing up, I thought maybe someday I could win a Grand Slam or make it to one Grand Slam final. But two Grand Slam finals in a week? It's unbelievable." — Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi after he and Czech Republic teammate Kveta Peschke lost to top-seeded Americans Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles title match. Qureshi and teammate Rohan Bopanna of India will face Bob and Mike Bryan in the men's doubles final Friday.
FRIDAY ON TV (All Times EDT): Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (live), 11 p.m.-Mid (highlights); ESPN2, 1-7 p.m. (live), 7-11 p.m. (live)
ON THIS DATE: Sept. 10, 1962: Rod Laver beat Roy Emerson for the men's single title to become the first man since Don Budge in 1938 to win the Grand Slam.
Other Tennis News
Mary Joe Fernandez extended as U.S. Fed Cup captain
NEW YORK (AP) — Mary Joe Fernandez will captain the U.S. Fed Cup team for at least two more years.
The U.S. Tennis Association said Thursday that it had extended her contract. Fernandez took over as captain last year and led the Americans to their first final since 2003.
The United States faces Italy in this year's final Nov. 6-7 in San Diego. The Americans are seeking their first title since 2000.
Fernandez helped the U.S. reach the finals in four of her six years playing on the Fed Cup team and finished with a 16-10 record.
She won Grand Slam doubles titles at the 1991 Australian Open and 1996 French Open.
