Rafael Nadal Advances to US Open Semis in Straight Sets

NEW YORK -- Continuing to stalk the hard courts at Flushing Meadows like a man on a mission, Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals at the U.S. Open with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco on Thursday night. The match was the first all-Spanish quarterfinal in the history of the tournament.

"I'm very happy to be in the semifinals for the third straight year," said Nadal after the match.

Nadal, the No. 1 seed, struggled against Verdasco -- and the swirling winds in Ashe Stadium -- early in the match. Down a break of serve at 4-2 in the first set, Nadal broke Nadasco's serve to tie it up at 4-4 and again at 6-5 to take the set.

"The conditions were tough for both players," said Nadal. "You have to fight through it, and I did."

For the rest of the match, Nadal appeared comfortable with the wind and against his countryman and fellow lefthander Verdasco, who had to be worn down after playing a five-set thriller in the fourth round on Tuesday night against David Ferrer. The eighth-seeded Verdasco ultimately was no match for Nadal, but has made strides in his hardcourt game after advancing to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for two straight years.

"The conditions were very bad for me tonight," said Verdasco. "My game plan was to push him with my serve and be aggressive, but the ball was moving all the time. It was impossible for me to play the game."

Nadal went up 5-3 in the third and final set with an improbable backhand get that sailed past Verdasco and he could only hit weakly into the net. The crowd at Ashe Stadium erupted, Nadal pumped his first and Verdasco -- not for the first time in the night -- threw his racket.

Nadal is now 11-0 in his career against Verdasco, including a five-set match over five hours and 14 minutes in the 2009 Australian Open that is the longest in the tournament's history.

In the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, Nadal will face No. 12 seed Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Stanislas Wawrinka in five sets on Thursday. Nadal, who has yet to lose a set in this year's tournament, is 7-4 in his career against Youzhny -- including a loss to Youzhny in the quarterfinals of the 2006 U.S. Open. The winner of Nadal-Youzhny will face the winner of the other semifinal between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the championship match on Sunday.

Verdasco offered a prediction: "I think Rafa will play Roger in the final and it will be a very tough match for Rafa. If I was to bet, I would bet Roger. He has won five times here."

The 24-year-old Nadal is seeking his first U.S. Open title, which would make him the seventh man in history to capture all four Grand Slam tournaments. The winner of this year's titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, Nadal is also trying to join Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Federer as the fourth man to win three consecutive majors in the Open Era.

"Right now," said Nadal, "this is the most important tournament for me."