ENJOYING EVERY BIT OF IT: Leander Paes, partnering Martin Damm, displayed rousing form to storm into the semifinals at the expense of Leos Friedl and Mikhail Youzhny. — Photo: Mohammed Abdul Haq

NEW YORK: Top-seeded Roger Federer dropped a set and had a hard time putting away No. 5 James Blake before finishing a 7-6(7), 6-0, 6-7(9), 6-4 victory on Thursday at the U.S. Open to reach a record-tying 10th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.

``The score says it all. The match could have been easier. Could have been tougher. We both missed our opportunities here and there, but that's kind of expected, because we took our chances on our shots,'' Federer said. ``It turned out to be a thriller.''

Even in the toughest of moments, Federer was so masterful that Blake and the partisan audience in Arthur Ashe Stadium showed their admiration. Some of Federer's winners were met with applause from a capacity crowd of 23,712, other shots made Blake acknowledge aloud how impressed he was.

Too good

``There are times you just have to say, `Too good,' and move on,'' said the American, who came into the night 0-4 against Federer, having lost all 10 sets they'd played.

``There's just too many things he does well. He doesn't panic. He plays offence unbelievably well. He plays defence better than anyone I've ever played.''

But Blake did not go quietly, saving a total of three match points and breaking Federer twice when he served for the match, at 5-3 in the third set and 5-2 in the fourth, celebrating the latter with a little strut.

``I take pride in the way I fought,'' Blake said. ``It's a good feeling to know that I'm close to Roger. ... I guess he's human.''

Fight to the finish

Right until the very end, Blake kept pushing, holding a break point and staving off two match points in the final game. Blake also saved a match point in the third-set tie-breaker, and certainly had other chances. He wasted three set points in the opening tie-breaker and three break points at 1-0 in the fourth set.

``It took a while today, but look, it's tough,'' Federer said. ``You make mistakes, he plays well, and the momentum shifts.''

Federer, the two-time defending champion, advanced to the semifinals and will face Russian No. 7 Nikolay Davydenko, who beat No. 14 Tommy Haas of Germany 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

The other men's semifinal will be No. 9 Andy Roddick against unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

``I'd probably like to play Andy, I guess, but (we're) not quite there yet,'' Federer said. ``We look like the big favourites, but we've seen what happens to favourites sometimes, so we have to be careful.''

Federer broke at love for a 5-4 edge with a spinning return, but Blake broke right back with the help of a double-fault and two unforced errors.

They went to the tie-breaker, where Blake won five straight points to 6-4. Federer erased the first set point with an ace, and Blake gave away two others with a long forehand, then a return into the net.

The highest drama came in the third-set tie-breaker. Federer was a single point from winning at 9-8 after a 30-stroke exchange ended with Blake dumping a backhand into the net. But Blake extended the match with a backhand winner down the line.

Finally, Blake closed the tie-breaker on his fifth set point, when Federer slipped to his knees while trying to hit a passing shot. Blake was in position for a 2-0 edge in the fourth set, with Federer serving at love-40. But Federer won the next five points, with three service winners, a forehand winner and a Blake error.

Serving for the win for a third time, Federer did come through, the match ending on a shot into the net by Blake. The American hung in there, but he could not prevent Federer from improving to 68-5 this season.

Three-set win

Leander Paes and his Czech partner Martin Damm made it to the semifinals of the men's doubles competition after a three-set victory over Leos Friedl of the Czech Republic and Russia's Mikhail Youzhny.

The sixth-seeded combination prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in just over two hours to enter the last four at the final Grand Slam of the year.

They will face the fourth-seeded pair of Zimbabwean Kevin Ullyett and Australian Paul Hanley - who defeated No. 5 seeds France's Fabrice Santoro and Serbian Nenad Zimonjic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 — for a place in the final.

Rupesh in last eight

There was good news from the junior section also as India's Rupesh Roy and Venezuela's Roberto Maytin entered the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian Vladimir Zinyakov and Japan's Tatsuma Ito.

They will now face the American team of Jarmere Jenkins and Austin Krajicek, who got the better of Australian Greg Jones and Chilean Hans Podlipnik 4-6 7-5 7-6(5). — Agencies

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