Rafael Nadal overcomes Fabio Fognini in four sets in US Open second round
Fabio Fognini in action against Rafael Nadal at the US Open. (Photo: AFP)
Updated 5:35 pm, Friday, September 8, 2013
Photo: AFP
Image 1of/1
Caption
Close
Image 1 of 1
Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych battle in the fourth set of their semifinal match at the US Open on Friday, Sept. 8, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) less
Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych battle in the fourth set of their semifinal match at the US Open on Friday, Sept. 8, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych battle in the fourth set of their semifinal match at the US Open on Friday, Sept. 8, 2013, in New York. (AP… more
Photo: AFP
Rafael Nadal overcomes Fabio Fognini in four sets in US Open second round
1 / 1
Back to Gallery
NEW YORK (AP) — There was no question who the favorites were at the U.S. Open.
Rafael Nadal and world No. 1 Tomas Berdych played in a four-set match in the men’s semifinals on Friday, both coming close to match points in what could prove the first-ever Grand Slam final with their contrasting styles of play.
They played each other in New York five times during the 2012 season – including five straight – but never in a four-set final.
Nadal, the world No. 1, reached the semifinals for the first time since beating him in the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. Berdych, who was ranked No. 1 for 12 of the final 14 months of this season, had never been