US Open men’s semi-finals gallery

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 14:53

The Roger Federer of old briefly returned to make a cameo appearance in his unsettling season, but could not save Super Saturday at the US Open descending into farce.

By mid-afternoon Federer, the four-time and defending mens champion, was home and hosed, awaiting his opponent for his third Grand Slam final of what by his standards ranks as a tumultuous year.

See what our man in New York made of the action.

He flashed his old form with 20 aces and some breathtaking passages of play in a 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 semifinal victory over third-seeded Novak Djokovic, who appeared exhausted after 17 hours of court time in the previous rounds.

I had moments out there where I really felt this is how I normally play on a hard court, said Federer. It was a very nice feeling to get that back.

I dont know why they didnt put us on the court at the same time – Andy Murray

He might have been the only one feeling so settled. At 2:45pm, Hurricane Hanna forced the suspension of the second semi-final, with Murray claiming the first two sets 6-2 7-6(5) from top seed Rafael Nadal, though the Spaniard lead 3-2 with a break in the third.

USTA officials, in consultation with broadcast network CBS, made the unprecedented decision to begin the Nadal-Murray match before the conclusion of the first semi-final.

In an effort to give viewers and fans an opportunity to watch at least part of both matches, they staggered the starting times, moving the second match to Louis Armstrong Stadium at 12:40pm, 90 minutes after the start of Federer-Djokovic.

The plan backfired when storms arrived earlier than tournament organisers expected.

Now, in what could be a competitive advantage for Federer, Nadal and Murray will not resume their match until 4pm Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The mens final is scheduled for 5pm Monday.

I dont know why they didnt put us on the court at the same time as the other match, said a puzzled Murray. I had no problem playing in Armstrong.

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