Youzhny is tasked with stopping Nadal completing a career slam

Mikhail Youzhny will need to recover fast from his marathon win against Stanislav Wawrinka if he has any chance of stopping Rafael Nadal from reaching the US Open final.

Youzhny came back from two sets to one down to beat his quarter-final opponent, but it remains to be seen just how much that has taken out of the Russian as he attempts to reach his first ever Grand Slam final.

Rafael Nadal comfortably beat Fernando Verdasco in three sets in his quarter-final and Nadal is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

However the Spaniard suffered a minor blip against Verdasco when his serve was broken, for the first time in the tournament.

But Youzhny can boast an impressive record against Nadal compared to his fellow ATP tour professionals, he’s beaten the Mallorcan on four occasions in the eleven contests the two have shared.

All four of Youzhny’s wins have come on the hard courts, including the last time the two faced off on the surface in Chennai where Youzhny comprehensively beat Nadal 6-0, 6-1 – Youzhny to beat Nadal in straight sets this time around is 50/1.

If the form of the 2006 US Open is anything to go by, Youzhny can defy the odds and win 3-1, currently available at 28/1.

Nowadays, Nadal in a Grand Slam event is a completely different proposition, and his 1/25 odds suggest nothing other than a comfortable victory.

Nadal is 1/3 to win the tie in three sets but the value is in the tiebreak market where it’s 11/10 for Youzhny to force Nadal into a tie-break.

Nadal is 5/6 to emerge victorious from Flushing Meadows. See the full US Open tennis betting market here.