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Rafa Nadal closer than ever to US Open success

Rafael Nadal has already won eight Grand Slams © Getty Images

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His rising-with-a-bullet career trajectory has flattened ever-so slightly as he approaches what passes for middle age in tennis.

Rafael Nadal, only three months past his 24th birthday, has already won eight Grand Slam singles titles - surpassing John McEnroe and Mats Wilander and equalling Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. There are probably more French Open titles to come and perhaps a few Wimbledon crowns, too. But the U.S. Open has, to this point, eluded Nadal. The court and the conditions do not mesh well with his skill set and, in his previous seven visits to the National Tennis Center, the best he's done is two semi-finals.

But Rafa's career has always been about ascendance. Growing up in Mallorca, Spain, he was a creature of clay and, early on, his game functioned beautifully in its earthy confines. The predicted French Open titles came quickly, four in a row, and then he tweaked his game, became more aggressive, and mastered the grass at the All England Club, winning Wimbledon titles in 2008 and earlier this summer.

On Saturday, he will try to take the penultimate step in his quest for a third consecutive victory at a major and a personal Grand Slam. He will face Mikhail Youzhny in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open - with the prospect of Roger Federer (who plays Novak Djokovic) looming in the final.

Nadal throttled No. 8 seed Fernando Verdasco 7-5 6-3 6-4 on another ultragusty night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He has never served better over the course of five matches in a major and he's won all 15 of the sets he's played here. Afterward, Nadal acknowledged how much he wants to win this one.

"Right now for me is very, very nice feeling being in semifinals for third straight time," Nadal said in his on-court interview. "It's one of the most important tournaments - for me, probably the most important."

Verdasco, who had beaten fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in an exhausting (even to watch) fourth-round match that went 4 hours, 23 minutes, never really posed a serious threat. Nadal and Verdasco had played 10 times before and Nadal had won them all. Although those results hardly promised a competitive match, there were two fabulously competitive meetings that gave tennis fans the faint hope of something special. Down a set, Nadal split two tiebreakers with Verdasco at Queen's Club four years ago and at last year's Australian Open they approached something epic in a five-hour, 14-minute semi-final. The longest match in the history of the tournament ended with a 6-4 fifth set.

Rafael Nadal's defence remains unrivalled © Getty Images

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No man has ever gone seven matches in a Grand Slam singles event without having his serve broken. It won't happen this year, either. Nadal won his first service game against Verdasco, giving him an umblemished 62-for-62 mark (with 13 break points saved), but then was broken in the 63rd. He's now only 76-for-77.

Rafa pressed Verdasco's serve, finally breaking back in the eighth game. And then, with Verdasco serving to reach a first-set tiebreaker, Rafa applied even more pressure. A missed overhead and a forehand that skittered off the net cord and landed wide put Verdasco in a love-40 hole. And then Nadal emphatically showed how his hard-court game has evolved. After the two players traded many strokes - a typical clay-court rally - Nadal made a deep approach shot, scurried to net and finished the point off with a forceful forehand volley. It was aggressive tennis at precisely the right time.

The second and third sets looked much the same with Nadal content to score an early break, and then serve it out. He won 16 of 17 first-serve points in that final set. There was a retro flash of Rafa's clay-court defense near the end. With Verdasco in a commanding position near the net, he sent a deep cross-court shot that looked like a winner, but Nadal somehow dug it out with a two-handed (barely) backhand that blooped beyond Verdasco, who got a racket on it, but sent it into the net. Verdasco slammed his racket, and Nadal had a 5-3 lead.

A startling 360-degree spin underlined his new aggressive posture. Nadal picked up a scalding shot from Verdasco, catching it about 6 inches off the court, spun completely around and continued sprinting to the net.

"Was very important victory for me," Nadal said. "I have to play my best tennis [against Youzhny]. It is the only chance to win matches at the end of these tournaments."

For more articles written by Greg Garber, visit ESPN.com.

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