Russia's Nikolay Davydenko plays a shot to Germany's Tommy Haas during their quarter-final match at the U.S. Open in New York yesterday. Davydenko won a thrilling five-setter. - Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters):

RUSSIAN NIKOLAY Davy-denko produced a stirring comeback as he recovered from two sets down to beat German Tommy Haas 4-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the U.S. Open semi-finals yesterday.

The seventh seed was outplayed for two sets, but Haas, who won back-to-back fifth-set tiebreaks to reach the last eight, tired as the match wore on and Davydenko held his nerve to reach the semi-finals in New York for the first time. Haas won four straight games to win the first set and looked on course for his first semi-final at Flushing Meadows when he took the second on a tiebreak. But Davydenko refused to give in and one break in each set helped him level the match.

Traded breaks

After trading breaks at the start of the deciding set, Davydenko broke twice to lead 5-2, but Haas saved a match point and broke back and reduced the deficit to 5-4. Haas then had two break points to level at 5-5 but Davydenko held on to set up a semi-final against either defending champion Roger Federer or American fifth seed James Blake, who played last night. Meanwhile, Andy Roddick capped a busy day at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday night by beating fellow former champion Leyton Hewitt 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals for the first time since he won the tournament in 2003.

"Well, I guess I can play tennis a little bit again," Roddick said. "I'm in a little bit of shock. It's been a rough six months for me. I haven't played too well."

Mismatch

With new coach Jimmy Connors looking on in a blazer and tie, clapping occasionally, Roddick turned his big match against 2001 Open champion Hewitt into a mismatch. Hewitt came in with a 6-2 edge in career meetings, 3-0 at majors, but this isn't the same Roddick.

In the night's earlier feature match-up, Maria Sharapova saved her best tennis for last, sweeping a second-set tiebreak 7-0 against France's Tatiana Golovin to book her return to the U.S. Open semi-finals.

Struggled

The Russian third seed, who struggled with her serve for much of the match, beat Golovin 7-6 7-6 in the two hour, 11-minute quarter-final, claiming the first-set tiebreaker 7-4.

Sharapova's triumph sets up a semi-final showdown with top seed Amelie Mauresmo, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion who advanced with a straight-sets win over Russian Dinara Safina.

"She's definitely the player to beat right now," Sharapova said of Mauresmo. "Honestly, I don't have anything to lose going into this match. She's number one in the world.

"She's won two majors this year. She's got all the confidence in the world. All I want to do is just go out there and enjoy the moment of it.

"Hey, if I take my chances and just go out there and enjoy it, I can come up with a win."