A lot of people from the US Open crowd remember the day of September 11th. 9 years after the tragedy, on Arthur Ashe Stadium, tennis scheduled two intense plays, full of emotions, pain or smiles : the men's semifinals.
In the first match, Rafael Nadal faced a big warrior from Russia, Mikhail Youzhny. Without loosing a set, Nadal stepped on the court with a huge ambition, trying to reach his first US Open final. The first set didn't seem a Grand Slam semifinal set, after the Nadal won it, 6-2. The only interesting moment of the first set was the fifth game, when Youzhny fought like a few years ago. After this set, the Russian realized he has to change something. And he did. He made some great points, trying to upset the world no.1. Despite his visible efforts, the Spaniard took the second set, 6-3. The third set started perfectly for Rafa, when he broke the opponent's service at 1-1, but Mikhail broke back. Right after that, at 4-4, the top seed made another break. Nadal was serving for the match. Nothing easier. The set finished 6-4 and the match seemed only a tennis lesson teached by Rafa. But for Misha, it's still a good sign, being in a Grand Slam semifinal and maybe being able to make the finals, when he doesn't need to face the best shape of Rafael Nadal.
Nadal will face next Novak Djokovic. An impressive Novak Djokovic, who beat Roger Federer for the first time at US Open. But, in the same time, a tired Nole, who stayed way longer on the court than Rafa.
The final is scheduled second on Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before 4:30 PM (local time).
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