Two days before the US Open, in half an hour’s practice toil, Greg Rusedski barely won a point against Mikhail Youzhny (Neil Harman writes). When the Russian finally missed a ball, Rusedski let out a piercing yelp that stopped play on all adjacent courts.
Tomorrow, Youzhny plays in his first grand-slam semi-final, against Andy Roddick, having dispatched Rafael Nadal, the world No 2, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1 with such an emphatic all-court display that Americans should not count their Kentucky Frieds just yet. Roddick may have most of the crowd support but Youzhny’s credentials in these kind of circumstances are powerful.
On his Davis Cup singles debut for Russia, Youzhny, ranked 54 in the world, came from two sets down to defeat Paul-Henri Mathieu, of France, in the deciding rubber of the 2002 final in Paris. That speaks to the heart of the man who, from 5-4, 0-40 down in the third set, played with an abandon that had Nadal’s head spinning. “I am 54 in the world but that was not the No 54 today,” he said. Expect that ranking to improve and unless Roddick — who defeated Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets in their quarter-final — has his head together, there could be a despondent air around Flushing Meadows tomorrow.
Youzhny was joined in the semi-finals by Nikolay Davydenko, his compatriot and conqueror of Andy Murray, who came from two sets down to defeat Tommy Haas, of Germany.