Nadal loses quarter-final to unseeded player

Rafael Nadal's hardships on hard courts continued as the Spaniard suffered a fourth-set collapse against unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter-finals of the US Open.

Nadal saw his men's singles title ambitions disappear as a finely balanced match at the Louis Armstrong Stadium turned into a rout. Youzhny advanced to his first career Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 victory.

The second-ranked player in the world, Nadal is most comfortable on clay, evidenced by his consecutive titles at the French Open. But his 52-8 mark this season belies his problems on concrete, where he is an ordinary 16-5 with just one of his five titles.

The loss ended the possibility of another Grand Slam final meeting between Nadal and rival Roger Federer, the top-ranked player in the world. Nadal defeated Federer at the French Open but lost at Wimbledon.

The match

After winning the first set, Youzhny lost his grip on the match as Nadal evened matters and threatened to take the third set.

Nadal held a 5-4, 40-love lead but squandered three set points, eventually losing a tiebreaker.
Youzhny raced to a 5-0 lead before Nadal held serve in the fourth set. The Spaniard even had a break point in the next game, but Youzhny was not to be derailed and served out for a stunning victory.

Nadal was Youzhny's third Spanish victim of the tournament, having previously ousted number 11 David Ferrer and number six Tommy Robredo.
But it was clear this latest conquest meant the most as he gave a military salute to the cheering fans at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Youzhny next faces 2003 champion Andy Roddick after he defeated 15th-seed Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets.