TENNIS in DEPTH.

Rafael Nadal’s bid for his first US Open title has been disrupted by strong winds and rain which forced his quarter-final with 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez to be halted last night with the Spaniard leading 7-6 and 3-2 up in the second-set tiebreak.

Nadal, struggling once again with an abdominal strain, was desperate to get the match completed to allow his aching body a full day’s rest. Instead, he and Gonzalez were kept until midnight before play was finally called off.

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who contest the other semi-final, have 24 hours longer to recover after completing their quarter-finals on Wednesday.

There are concerns that further rain is likely to interrupt today’s women’s semi-finals between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki against Yanina Wickmayer, which could force the final to be delayed 24 hours until Sunday.

Last year, the lack of a roof saw Andy Murray’s final against Roger Federer put back until the Monday, causing logistical problems for everyone involved.

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