By Bill Scott Sep 4, 2008, 0:15 GMT
New York - Scot Andy Murray ended the 23-match win streak of Juan Del Potro, reaching the first major semi-final of his career on Wednesday 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 7-5 at the US Open.
Sixth seed Murray laboured for nearly four hours in a high-tension shootout with the Argentine teenager who has won titles at his last four tournaments.
Murray began fulfilling his promise as the 2004 junior winner at Flushing Meadows with a performance featuring nine aces and 61 unforced errors in the battle of attrition.
'I had a bit of a slip in the third set,' said Murray, moving up to fourth on the ATP. 'Del Potro's been on an unbelievable run.
'He fought really hard, there was a great atmosphere in the stadium.'
Del Potro dropped the first two sets - around one hour each - in tiebreakers, then went on a tear as he won 12 of the 13 last points to claim the third.
He twice went up breaks in the fourth set as Murray clawed them both back before advancing in relief as a return from Del Potro sailed long on a second match point.
Murray faces a semi-final against either top seed Rafael Nadal or American Mardy Fish.
Newly confident Olympic silver medalist Dinara Safina moved to within two victories of duplicating her older brother's 2000 US Open title by reaching the semi-finals 6-2, 6-3 over Flavia Pennetta.
The Russian sixth seed dropped Italy's number 16 in just over an hour, overcoming two double-faults in the final game as she served out the victory.
Pennetta saved one match point but returned a second long to exit in her first quarter-final at a major.
'I think today maybe I can say finally I'm happy with myself, the way I played, because really I did what I had to do,' Safina said. 'I was aggressive on the court.
'I was following the balls every time. I think it was today finally I played my game.'
Safina will face the winner form the all-sister showdown between former champions Venus and Serena Williams.
'I'm getting closer to reaching what my brother (Marat Safin) accomplished,' said Safina, who has a chance at the number one ranking should she win the event and Jelena Jankovic does not advance beyond the semi-finals.
'It would be nice to have the same title as him.'
Safina said she is unworried by which Williams she might face. 'They are both sisters, whomever wins I will play.'
She struck 25 winners against 19 unforced errors as she beat the 17th-ranked Pennetta for the fifth time without a loss. Safina has claimed 20 of her last 21 matches.
Safina rediscovered her energy after struggling through her last victory.
And the Russian won't be intimidated to play a popular Williams in the New York lion's den.
Whichever American progresses is sure to be a big crowd favourite, but Safina, who has reached the final in six of her last seven tournaments, was unperturbed.
'After being in China (at the Beijing Games) and playing two times (against) Chinese? And also being in Israel, playing an Israeli, it was even worse.'
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