TOP SEED NOVAK Djokovic and fourth seed David Ferrer will meet in the US Open semi-finals after both won in New York last night.
Spaniard Ferrer won through to his second appearance in the final four at Flushing Meadows with a tough five-set victory over Janko Tipsarevic.
In a match that lasted over four-and-a-half hours, Ferrer outlasted his Serbian opponent to win 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
It did not look good for Ferrer when Tipsarevic led 4-1 in the final set, but the number four seed broke back to send the decider to a tie-breaker.
The tie-breaker was tight early on, but Ferrer won five of the last six points to take the set and the match.
The semi-final appearance matches Ferrer’s effort in 2007 when he made it through to the final four at Flushing Meadows before losing to Djokovic.
Ferrer will get the opportunity to redeem his loss to the Serb five years ago, after Djokovic accounted for 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
The defending champion is the resounding favourite to make it back-to-back titles after clocking 43 winners to get past his Argentine opponent in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic effectively broke Del Potro’s challenge in the second set, overcoming a break deficit to fight back and pinch the tie-breaker in a set that lasted 84 minutes.
“Even though it was a straight-set match,” the Serb said afterwards, “it was much closer than the score indicated.
“I was lucky in the second set to get out with a two-set advantage. That was probably one of the better sets I’ve played in all of 2012. It was a lot of fun to be a part of this great match.”
Scot Andy Murray and Czech Tomas Berdych will do battle in the other semi-final.
