NEW YORK — Andy Roddick’s legs felt fatigued. The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium was hushed. And defending champion Rafael Nadal was at his court-covering, groundstroke-whipping, serve-stopping best.
Hardly a good combination for the last American man in the U.S. Open.
Overwhelming Roddick right from the start, Nadal compiled a stunning 22-0 edge in forehand winners, broke six times and never left the outcome of their match even remotely in doubt, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 on Friday to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the fourth consecutive year.
What was it like for 2003 U.S. Open champion Roddick to be out there, his own game faltering and Nadal’s as good as it gets?
“It’s a bad feeling. It’s almost worse than competing,” Roddick said. “You feel helpless.”
Nadal took the first four games in 18 minutes. He then reeled off 16 of the last 17 points — including 12 in a row — to close the second set.
“It was quick. Obviously, it was a combination of things that probably weren’t going to work out today,” said Roddick, who had trouble pushing off on serves and forehands and was massaged by a trainer during a medical timeout in the third set. “It was evident pretty early that he was in full control.”
Seeking his 11th Grand Slam title, Nadal has yet to drop a set heading into today’s semifinal against No. 4 Andy Murray, who beat No. 28 John Isner 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (2) earlier Friday.
“It will be a very tough match for me,” Nadal said, “and hopefully for him too.”
The other semifinal was set up by Thursday’s quarterfinals, and it’ll be a big one: No. 1 Novak Djokovic against No. 3 Roger Federer, who has won five of his record 16 Grand Slam championships at the U.S. Open. For the second time in the last three major tournaments, the final foursome is filled by the men ranked Nos. 1-4 — something that hadn’t happened at the U.S. Open since 1992.
“They’re pretty firmly the best players in the world right now,” Roddick said. “They certainly deserve the numbers next to their names.”
Djokovic is 62-2 with nine titles in 2011, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. His first loss this season came when Federer ended Djoko vic’s 43-match winning streak in a thrilling French Open semifinal.
Nadal has won 12-of-16 career matchups against Murray, including eliminating him in the semifinals of the French Open on clay and Wimbledon on grass this year. Now they’ll meet on hard courts at the U.S. Open.
“It’s a good surface for me to play him on,” said Murray, who played 1 1/2 hours longer than Nadal did Friday. “It’s a close, close matchup.”
The exits by Roddick and Isner — with first lady Michelle Obama sitting in the stands — mean this will be the 32nd Grand Slam tournament in a row without a male champion from the United States, extending the country’s longest drought, which dates to Roddick’s 2003 triumph in New York.
The seats were mostly empty at the start of Murray-Isner, and the partisan crowd was oddly quiet watching Roddick succumb to Nadal.
“You’d rather be booed than have silence. It’s an empty feeling,” Roddick said. “That’s one of the most disconcerting things. You don’t ever want them to think you’re giving less than you can.”
