Grand Slam semi-final debutante Andy Murray is playing the best tennis of his career at the US Open and could be poised to capture Britain's first men's Grand Slam title in the 40-year Open era.
The lanky 21-year-old Scotsman is scheduled to face world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain on Saturday in the semi-finals but predictions of rain showers could delay the matchup, adding to the tension at the year's last Slam event.
"How you do in Slams is how you are remembered in tennis and I wanted to improve my record in them," Murray said. "Definitely done that this year. Hopefully I can keep it going." Murray advanced to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, where he lost to Nadal as he would again three weeks later in a Canada semi-final, and has made a breakthrough march to the Flushing Meadows final four.
Murray can become only the third British man to reach a Slam final in the Open era, following Greg Rusedski in the 1997 US Open and John Lloyd from the 1977 Australian Open. Neither of them won but Nadal knows Murray could, even though the Spanish left-hander is 5-0 against him and comes in off titles at Wimbledon, the French Open and the Beijing Olympics. "He can win the title," Nadal said.