Associated Press
NEW YORK ó Rafael Nadal hunched over, his chest heaving, his hopes of reaching his first U.S. Open final fading fast.
No one ever seems to run Nadal ragged.
Andy Murray managed to do just that.
Exhibiting precisely the sort of winner-vaporizing, opponent-demoralizing defense new No. 1 Nadal usually employs, Murray reached his first Grand Slam final by completing a stunning, rain-interrupted 6-2, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 upset of the Spaniard on Sunday.
“He beat me because he was better than me,” acknowledged Nadal, whose 19-match winning streak at major tournaments ended. “When he’s playing aggressive, he can beat everybody.”
Now, instead of a third consecutive Grand Slam final between Nadal and the man he replaced atop the rankings, Roger Federer, it will be Murray vs. Federer tonight.
Federer will be attempting to win his fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship and 13th Grand Slam title overall. And Murray? The 21-year-old Scot is trying to become the first British man to win a major tennis title since Fred Perry at the 1936 U.S. Open.
Get this, though: Murray owns a 2-1 career mark against Federer.
“He’s got loads of experience in these situations, and it’s something new for me,” Murray said. “I know I’m going to have to play great to have a chance of winning, but I’ve played well the last couple of weeks.”
The sixth-seeded Murray won the first two sets against Nadal and was down a break at 3-2 in the third in Louis Armstrong Stadium when play was suspended Saturday because of Tropical Storm Hanna.
nal.
While they were exerting themselves, striding and sweating this way and that, the second-seeded Federer went through more-relaxed paces in a practice session Sunday. He managed to get through his semifinal before the rain arrived Saturday, beating Novak Djokovic in four sets for a 33rd consecutive victory at the U.S. Open.