Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - Fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer
was a hard-fought quarterfinal winner Thursday at the U.S. Open.
The gritty world No. 5 Ferrer came from behind to outlast eighth-seeded
Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in a grueling 4-
hour, 31-minute affair at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Ferrer overcame a 1-4 deficit in the fifth and deciding set, and did so after
Tipsarevic took a nasty spill onto the court in the sixth game of the stanza.
The Spaniard broke Tipsarevic to pull within 3-4 in the fifth and consolidated
the break with a hold to even things up.
Both players would hold serve the rest of the way to set-up the match-deciding
tiebreak, which was controlled by Ferrer.
The determined Spaniard set-up his first match point when Tipsarevic sent a
forehand long and converted when the Serb, who appeared to be laboring over
the last two sets, sent one final backhand into the net.
Tipsarevic actually took a three-minute injury timeout while trailing 15-40 in
the ninth game of the fifth set with the score knotted at 4-all.
Ferrer is now 17-9 in his career five-set matches and 3-1 lifetime against the
world No. 9 Tipsarevic.
The dangerous Ferrer's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be second-seeded
former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or seventh-seeded Argentine slugger Juan
Martin del Potro. Djokovic is the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open
champ. He beat Rafael Nadal in last year's finale in Flushing and is also a
two-time runner-up in New York. Del Potro stunned Roger Federer in the 2009
U.S. Open final.
Djokovic is 5-2 lifetime against del Potro, who upset the Serb in the bronze-
medal match at the London Olympic Games last month. Djokovic beat the
Argentine in the round of 32 at the 2007 U.S. Open.
The 30-year-old Ferrer will appear in his second U.S. Open semifinal and
fourth career Grand Slam semi. The steady Spaniard also appeared in the French
Open final four in June and reached at least the quarterfinals at all four
majors in 2012.
The other men's semi will pit third-seeded Andy Murray against sixth seed
Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. The former Wimbledon runner-up Berdych
stunned the reigning world No. 1 Federer on Wednesday.
The British Murray captured an Olympic gold medal last month, was July's
Wimbledon runner-up to Federer, and gave way to Federer in the 2008 U.S. Open
final.
The Sports Network