US Open Tennis
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, returns a shot to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, during a quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Ne...
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, returns a shot to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, during a quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
US Open Tennis
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, serves to to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursd...
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, serves to to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
US Open Tennis
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, returns the ball to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York,...
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, returns the ball to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
US Open Tennis
Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, reacts after a point against Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in ...
Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, reacts after a point against Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
US Open Tennis
Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, returns the ball to Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York,...
Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, returns the ball to Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
US Open Tennis
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, returns a shot to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New Y...
Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, returns a shot to Mikhail Youzhny, of Russia, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
US Open Tennis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, wipes his face during a quarterfinal against Fernando Verdasco of Spain, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thur...
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, wipes his face during a quarterfinal against Fernando Verdasco of Spain, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US Open Tennis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, serves to Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2...
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, serves to Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, in a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)
US Open Tennis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, returns a shot to Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, during a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday...
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, returns a shot to Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, during a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US Open Tennis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts after breaking the serve of Fernando Verdasco, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tourname...
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts after breaking the serve of Fernando Verdasco, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US Open Tennis
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts during a quarterfinal against Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, S...
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts during a quarterfinal against Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US Open Tennis
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, returns a shot to Rafael Nadal, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, T...
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, returns a shot to Rafael Nadal, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
US Open Tennis
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, returns a shot to Rafael Nadal, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, T...
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, returns a shot to Rafael Nadal, also of Spain, in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. ((AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
US Open Tennis
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, readies for a return to countryman Rafael Nadal during a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Th...
Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, readies for a return to countryman Rafael Nadal during a quarterfinal at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Top-seeded Rafael Nadal put a slow start behind him before beating No. 8 Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Thursday night in the first all-Spanish quarterfinal in U.S. Open history.
Nadal's streak of 62 consecutive holds of serve to start the tournament ended in the match's third game, when Verdasco broke him at love to go ahead 2-1.
But Nadal broke back to get to 4-all, thanks to Verdasco's consecutive double-faults, and was on his way to a third consecutive semifinal at Flushing Meadows. Nadal, trying to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open for the first time, will face No. 12 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia on Saturday.
