In the third set,momentum swung back toward Roger Federer,winner of 17 Grand Slam singles titles,candidate for best player of all time. He felt it. Tomas Berdych felt it. The crowd,which obviously felt it,roared. The stands shook. The question lingered. Could Federer,near the end of the summer that marked his career resurgence,complete an epic comeback at the United States Open? The answer,according to Berdych,his serve and his punishing forehand,was no. Federer walked off court as Berdych smacked tennis balls into the stands. Federers eyes were downcast,his face glum. This season,in which he won Wimbledon and captured a silver medal in Olympic singles and returned to the No. 1 ranking,would include so much but not another Open title. Berdych,seeded sixth,has long held a reputation as a solid player who struggled in big points,who choked away big matches. He dispelled that notion Wednesday,as he jumped to an early lead against Federer,withstood a rally and held on to win,7-6 (1) 6-4 3-6 6-3. Everything was just right today, Berdych said. So thats the result of what was happening on the court. There was not a,well,not a bad spot. Not for Berdych,anyway. Afterward,the focus remained on Federers extended layoff between matches,which resulted when Mardy Fish withdrew for health reasons and Federer skipped into the quarterfinals without contesting anyone in the fourth round. Federer refused to use the three days that passed between his matches as an excuse. Instead,he noted he won Wimbledon one year with more than six days off during the tournament. I dont think schedule was a problem, Federer said. But who knows? I dont put that down as a negative,really. I just didnt come up with the goods. Wednesday marked Berdychs first night match at Arthur Ashe Stadium - one that he made count. The critical point came late in the fourth set,on break point,with Berdych returning. After a brief rally,he battered a forehand so hard it skipped into a corner before Federer had a chance to really move. At that point,all Berdych had to do was hold serve. And hold serve he did. One last serve overpowered Federer and the two shook hands. It couldnt be better, Berdych said. Berdych will now play Andy Murray in the semifinals of a US Open that suddenly seems more wide open than in recent years. Second-seeded Novak Djokovic,the defending champion,remains alive in the draw,with his quarterfinal scheduled for Thursday night,as does Murray,the Olympic champion,seeded third. But the semifinals this year will be played without Federer and Rafael Nadal,another previous champion who withdrew before the tournament began,citing a knee injury. The final weekend at the Open will look different,feel different,at least on the mens side. Berdych,while not favoured Wednesday,is no pushover. When Murray,who beat Marin Cilic 3-6 7-6 6-2 6-0 earlier in the day,was asked over and over about Federer afterward,before Federers first set had concluded,said that Berdych is a great player,as well. Lets show him some respect,too. Murray and Federer spent most of the summer trading titles,as if on some sort of cosmic collision course. Both made the final at Wimbledon,which Federer won. Both made the Olympics singles final,where Murray triumphed. When the US Open draw showed Murray in the same half as Federer,it was easy to consider their summer rubber match the most enticing contest of this tournament. Berdych did not get the memo. He rarely does when he plays against Federer. Berdych stunned Federer in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2010,handing Federer his earliest loss at that tournament in eight years. Berdych also toppled Federer in Miami that year and bested Federer in Cincinnati in 2011. Whenever they played,Berdych always seemed to give Federer trouble,with his big serve and formidable groundstrokes. Both,combined with a bevy of unforced errors by Federer on Wednesday,allowed Berdych to take the first two sets rather easily. The crowd in Ashe sat there,stunned,unsure of what to make of Federers vulnerable night. This loss,in a high-quality affair that qualified as some of the best tennis in the tournament,opened up the draw for the semifinals. No Federer. No Nadal. And still,a tournament left to win. (NYT) Maria,Serena in last four Fourth-seeded Serena Williams served 12 aces Wednesday night to move to the semifinals with a typically overpowering victory,6-1 6-3 over Ana Ivanovic. Williams will next play Italian Sara Errani,who beat her doubles partner Roberta Vinci 6-2 6-4. Also advancing was third-seeded Maria Sharapova,who trailed 4-0 when play resumed after rain. Given nearly 24 hours to think about things,Sharapova rallied for a 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory over No. 11 Marion Bartoli. Sharapova will play top-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the semis. Meanwhile,fifth seeds Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek advanced to the final after Spaniards Marc Lopez and Marcel Granollers retired at 6-6 in the first set of the mens doubles semi-finals.Greg Bishop
