Bogeyman beats Federer in New York
( 2003-09-05 11:19) (Agencies)
Wimbledon champion Roger Federer's US Open run juddered to a halt on Thursday
when he was bounced by his burly bogeyman but Kim Clijsters was on fine form as
rain clouds finally cleared from Flushing Meadows.
Federer, seeded second
here on the back of his grasscourt grand slam triumph, fell once again to
Argentine David Nalbandian, this time 3-6 7-6 6-4 6-3.
The stocky 21-year-old
has now beaten Federer all five times they have met on the Tour -- three times
this year and twice in 2002.
"I guess I am struggling against him," Federer
smiled wryly. "I don't know what to comment on this.
"I am trying to figure out how to beat him. He likes my game, that's all I
can say about it."
Thirteenth seed Nalbandian, a finalist at Wimbledon last
year, was also at a loss to explain his hold over the stylish Swiss
player.
"I like playing against him, what can I say?" he laughed. "I like his
game... I don't know exactly why."
Clijsters reached her first US Open
semi-final with a comprehensive 6-1 6-4 victory over France's Amelie
Mauresmo.
The Belgian will face former champion and third seed Lindsay
Davenport for a place in Saturday's final after the American ousted Argentine
Paola Suarez 6-4 6-0.
"It's definitely a great feeling," Clijsters
grinned.
Her long-term boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt underlined his revival in
form, beating Thai Paradorn Srichaphan 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-2.
CULT FOLLOWING
The
2001 US Open champion has endured a poor grand slam year and this result gave
him his best run at a major in 2003.
"It took me a few games to get into it
but then I really started working it well," Hewitt said.
He next plays third seed Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Spaniard beat American Todd
Martin 6-2 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3.
Federer, who also lost to Nalbandian in the final
of the junior event here in 1998, slowly lost his way on a dank centre court,
bowing out in two hours 50 minutes.
Nalbandian allowed his opponent to punch
himself out before thrashing the heavy tennis balls all over the court to reach
his first US Open quarter-final.
In the last eight he will face crowd
favourite Younes El Aynaoui. The Moroccan, who is developing a cult following in
New York, reached his second straight US Open quarter-final by bouncing former
world number one Carlos Moya 7-6 7-6 4-6 6-4.
The 31-year-old cradled his
racket and rocked it like a baby after striking a winning backhand on match
point -- a reference to the birth of his third son earlier this month.
Grim
conditions had once again greeted players and tennis fans when they arrived at a
water-logged National Tennis Center.
But the rains finally cleared and gave
organisers a glimmer of hope of finishing the tournament this weekend on
schedule.
Before Federer and Nalbandian took to court, only five singles
matches had been completed since Monday because of severe rain delays, forcing
officials to seriously consider holding the men's final next Monday.
ERRANT
THROW
But the action was thick and fast on Thursday evening with matches
sprawled on to far-flung courts as organisers played catch-up.
In the women's
draw, Russian seventh seed Anastasia Myskina beat Frenchwoman Mary Pierce 7-6
6-1 in a fourth-round match which spanned four days because of the
weather.
When they resumed on Thursday, with Myskina leading 7-6 2-0, she
needed just 14 minutes to book a place in the quarter-finals against third seed
Justine Henin-Hardenne.
"It was weird to wait four days and then play 20
minutes to finish the match," Myskina said. "It's been a tough
situation."
Italy's Francesca Schiavone followed her into the last eight
after upsetting 15th seed Ai Sugiyama 6-7 7-5 6-2.
The victory puts the
29th-seeded Schiavone into the last eight of a grand slam for just the second
time in her career.
She plays American sixth seed Jennifer Capriati later on
Thursday.
Aside from the many rain delays, Schiavone's match was briefly
halted when umpire Lynn Welch was struck on the head with a tennis ball from an
errant throw by a ball boy.
Cut and bleeding across the bridge of her nose
and side of her eye, Welch received treatment in the chair but said she wanted
to continue.
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