Youzhny beat Wawrinka to reach semifinals

Youzhny beat Wawrinka to reach semifinals

Stanislas Wawrinka played another protracted match at the US Open. Unfortunately for the Swiss, this time he didn't prevail.

Mikhail Youzhny rallied to beat Wawrinka 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in exactly four hours Thursday to reach a second US Open semifinal. As a bonus, the gifted Russian will now return to the Top 10.

"I was a little bit lucky," Youzhny said afterwards on court.

Youzhny saved a break point at 4-4 with a punishing forehand down the line, and a tiebreak was later needed.

Youzhny earned the first mini break for 5-4. Wawrinka saved three set points, but Youzhny earned a fourth by curling a forehand pass cross court. A devastating inside out forehand levelled proceedings.

Youzhny, in a highlight reel point, broke Wawrinka in the first game of the fifth with a dazzling backhand pass. Broken at 2-1, he called for the trainer, seemingly getting his right big toe taped. The delay cooled Wawrinka, and the 25th seed dropped serve. That was that.

Youzhny probably faces Rafael Nadal, who he toppled at the U.S. Open in 2006, on Saturday if the world No. 1 seed can take down Fernando Verdasco. He'll thus need as much rest as he can get.

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Wawrinka beats querrey in five-set fight

Wawrinka beats querrey in five-set fight

Five sets and nearly four and a half hours into Stanislas Wawrinka and Sam Querrey's Round of 16 match, it was still impossible to tell which man would emerge victorious. The Swiss and American fought through exhausting momentum shifts in Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday afternoon, but it was the 25-year-old Swiss who finally notched his first Grand Slam quarterfinal berth, 7-6 (9), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

"I think my serve was not really good today, but the rest was quite okay," Wawrinka said. "I try to adapt. With the condition, with the wind, was not easy. But, yeah, I think I play a very good match."

"I left it all out there today and I didn't get to the quarters," said Querrey. "I'm bummed, but I did everything I could."

"I knew the beginning of the fifth set was really important to keep my serve, because he was still serving very good and was putting a lot of pressure (on me)," said Wawrinka. "But then it change a little bit. He was really tired. It was not easy for him to stay in the match."

Finally, on his second match point Wawrinka completed the win and booked a place in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. He'll meet Russian No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny on Thursday.

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