September 08, 2007	Saturday	Sha'aban 25, 1428

NEW YORK, Sept 7: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spaniard David Ferrer rolled into the US Open semi-finals for the first time in their careers with dominating last-eight victories on Thursday.

Third seed Djokovic reached his third grand slam semi-final of the year with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 victory over Spain’s Carlos Moya, and now faces Ferrer for a place in Sunday’s final.

Ferrer, the 15th seed who accounted for compatriot Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, achieved his best result in a major with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela.

In Saturday’s other semi-final, world number one and three-time champion Roger Federer will battle fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, who has yet to lose a set.

The women’s semi-finals take centre stage on Friday at Flushing Meadows. Top-ranked Justine Henin faces two-times champion Venus Williams, while 2004 winner and fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova squares off against Russian compatriot and sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze.

Djokovic was just 11 years old when the 31-year-old Moya won his lone major at the French Open in 1998.

In the crucial second set tiebreaker, the 20-year-old Djokovic survived a set-point to win 9-7 and take control of the two-hour, 18-minute quarter-final on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Moya was broken in the opening game of the final set and again in the fifth and seventh games against an inspired Djokovic. He double-faulted at match point.

Ferrer, who stunned French Open champion Nadal in the last 16, beat 20th seed Chela in just over two hours to become only the fourth Spaniard to make the last four at the US Open in the open era.

Meanwhile, Belarus pair Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka seized the US Open mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Indian Leander Paes and American Meghann Shaughnessy.

Paes and Shaughnessy held five set points in the second set but Mirnyi and Azarenka rallied to claim their first grand slam crown together by winning the tiebreak 8-6. It was 18-year-old Azarenka’s first grand slam title. For Mirnyi, it was his third mixed doubles crown at a grand slam and seventh in total.

Azarenka also beat former champion Martina Hingis on her way to the fourth round of the singles.

The Belarus pair lost the Australian Open final in January and Mirnyi said he hoped the title would prove the start of a long and successful career for Azarenka.

Also on Thursday, Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung reached the women’s doubles final at the US Open with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Agnes Szavay of Hungary and Czech Vladimira Ulihrova.

Thursday’s results (x denotes seeding):

Men’s singles (quarter-finals):

David Ferrer (ESP x15) bt Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG x20) 6-2, 6-3, 7-5; Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Carlos Moya (ESP x17) 6-4, 7-6, 6-1.

Women’s doubles (semi-finals):

Chan Yung-Jan/Chuang Chia-Jung (TPE x5) bt Agnes Szavay/Vladimira Uhlirova (HUN/CZE x4) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5); Nathalie Dechy/Dinara Safina (FRA/RUS x7) bt Kveta Peschke/Rennae Stubbs (CZE/AUS x6) 6-4, 6-4.

Mixed doubles (final):Victoria Azarenko/Max Mirnyi (BLR) bt Meghann Shaughnessy/Leander Paes (USA/IND) 6-4, 7-6 (8/6).—Agencies