Bearded Brit Vanquishes Nadal

You figured the Saturday rain which cut down the Andy Murray-Rafael Nadal semifinal in the third set would befit the Spaniard #1 just fine. Nadal looked exhausted on Saturday, as he has in every match since winning his Beijing gold. A night's rest didn't fix it: Murray remained the aggressor on Sunday, and ended up pulling through with two breaks in the clinching fourth set.

For a set and a half of tennis, it was thrilling stuff. One game saw Murray squander seven break points before Nadal finished him. In the fourth set, Nadal went up an early break and looked to be on his way to sending us to five. But Murray battled back and asserted dominance ... something we haven't seen against Nadal in a long time.

The final point of the match lacked real drama, but the one prior -- Nadal serving at deuce, down 4-5 -- was epic. Murray played Nadal all over the court, sending the Spaniard sliding around Arthur Ashe Court. Murray ended up coming to the net and dispatching Nadal with a simple crosscourt carom.

Roger Federer will be an overwhelming favorite on Monday with the Open on the line, but if Murray continues to play so slick and strong, it could be a fine match. (It'd be a whole lot more telegenic, of course, if Murray would shave his darn face. You'll never get a guest spot on Entourage with that mess, Andy!)

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.