FanNation - The Republic of Sport

14:49 Pacific - Roger Federer has looked so much better during the course of the U.S. Open than he has at any other point during the 2008 season. But Federer still looks like he's lacking that top gear that saw him keep a stranglehold on the top spot in tennis for over four years. As this gets written, Federer just dropped his first set against Igor Andreev, playing sloppy tennis to lose the first-set tiebreak and jeopardize his bid to return to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. Meanwhile, Nikolay Davydenko struggles as well, also down a set in his fourth-round match. Gilles Muller, a scrapper from Luxembourg who has upstaged Tommy Haas and Nicolas Almagro before this showdown against world number-five Davydenko, looks every bit the giant killer of this tournament. Should Muller manage to win this match -- and he's currently level at 3-3 in the fourth set, already up two sets to one -- he will make a dangerous opponent for either Andreev OR Federer...

The top two pairings in the quarterfinals have already been determined. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal, looking to win his third Grand Slam in a row and his first on a hardcourt surface, will be squaring off against unseeded American hopeful Mardy Fish. Fish managed to knock off his more-celebrated countryman James Blake in straight sets (6-3,6-3, 7-6[7-5]) in the third round before besting Gael Monfils, also in straight sets (7-5, 6-2, 6-2), to set up his quarterfinal showdown with the top dog. Nadal looks to be playing much more confidently after his first-round scare against Bjorn Phau, though he received a scare in dropping a set to Sam Querrey in the fourth round (6-2, 5-7, 7-6[7-2], 6-3). Fish will look to keep his fairy tale alive, while Nadal will try to maintain his star-crossed form which has seen him become the first player to take the French Open/Wimbledon double since Bjorn Borg... and then saw him add a gold medal in Beijing as icing on his cake.

Andy Murray, meanwhile, slaughtered Stanislas Wawrinka last night (6-1, 6-3, 6-3) to sweep into the quarterfinals against Juan Marin Del Potro, himself a straight-set winner (6-3, 6-4, 6-3) against Kei Nishikori. Murray has looked amazing this tournament so far and could easily become the first British citizen to win a Grand Slam since 1936. He has been methodical in taking out his competitors, bending but not breaking and looking as though his wrist is finally reaching full fitness. Del Potro will have his hands full, but since his opening-round victory over Guillermo Canas he has looked composed. This should be a great matchup...

And the final pairing will consist of Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open winner who survived a five-set scare (4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3) against Tommy Robredo. Djokovic awaits the results of tonight's showcase match between Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez. Roddick will be favored, conceivably having the home-court advantage in the courts of Queens -- but Gonzalez will certainly be ready to make it a contest. The winner gets Djokovic; the loser gets a seat in the stands to watch someone else play in the quarterfinals...

15:17 Pacific - No unseeded players made it through to even the quarterfinals in the women's draw. All of the remaining eight competitors -- or seven, considering one match is already completed -- entered the tournament among the top thirty-two. Elena Dementieva became the first to punch her semifinal ticket, defeating Patty Schnyder today in straight sets (6-2, 6-3). She had bested Na Li in the fourth round (6-4, 6-1) to get to the quarters; Schnyder defeated Katarina Srebotnik in three (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) before losing to Dementieva. Now the Russian waits to see who she will face for the chance to compete for the crown...

And now, looking back at the two matches in progress, we see Federer heading to a SECOND tiebreak to try desperately to get back on par with Andreev. Meanwhile, Davydenko is trying to keep his opponent from winning the match in the fourth-set tiebreak... but cannot! The number-five player in the world falls to unseeded, unheralded and underestimated Gilles Muller, who will take on the winner of Andreev-Federer. The former winner of the 2001 U.S. Open junior championship, Muller has proven and will continue to prove a tough foe for his future opponent(s?)...

21:59 Pacific - So I come back to the computer to find that Federer gutted out the fourth-round match against Andreev, needing the full five sets and to survive being a set down after three. I look around Eurosport... it looks as though Jelena Jankovic has advanced as well and will play Elena Dementieva in one semifinal...

In the other men's fourth-round match, Andy Roddick easily disposed of Fernando Gonzalez (6-2, 6-4, 6-1) and set up his quarterfinal draw against Novak Djokovic. So the final pairings for the men are as follows:

(1) Rafael Nadal v. Mardy Fish

(17) Juan Marin Del Potro v. (6) Andy Murray

(8) Andy Roddick v. (3) Novak Djokovic

Gilles Muller v. (2) Roger Federer

On the women's side, the remaining matches to be played to decide the other semifinal matchup include the matchup of the Williams sisters yet again in a Grand Slam and six-seed Dinara Safina's continued drive toward her own first Slam title. Safina will face Flavia Pennetta, who herself bested Nadia Petrova and Amelie Mauresmo to reach this point. We are reaching the late rounds of the final Slam of 2008... the action is getting tight, and every groundstroke counts...