Roger Federer
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Roger Federer stormed into his fifth successive U.S. Open final on Saturday but his challenger will not be known for another 24 hours after heavy rain washed away the rest of the day’s play at Flushing Meadows.
The four-times champion was in sublime form during a 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 victory over Novak Djokovic and can now enjoy an extra day of rest since world number one Rafael Nadal and British sixth seed Andy Murray were foiled by the bad weather.
Murray was in the driver’s seat to book a date with the Swiss, leading Nadal 6-2 7-6 2-3, when play in the second semi-final was suspended by rain.
The women’s final, scheduled for Saturday night between twice champion Serena Williams and second seed Jelena Jankovic, was postponed until Sunday night as the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna tossed the last weekend of the Open into disarray.
Nadal and Murray will resume their semi-final on Sunday at 2000 GMT, and American Williams and Jankovic will joust for the women’s crown five hours later.
The men’s final, in which 27-year-old Federer will seek to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1924 to win five Open titles in a row, is scheduled to start at 2100 on Monday.
Organisers gave up hope of finishing the second semi-final or staging the women’s title match as the weather forecast called for hours of showers.
Because of the threatening weather, the matches were staged concurrently with four-times champion Federer facing Australian Open winner Djokovic at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Nadal-Murray raging at adjacent Louis Armstrong.
