Nadal downs Fish in raucous late late show

By Pritha Sarkar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal turned dream wrecker at Flushing Meadows when he downed American favourite Mardy Fish 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2 in a rowdy late late show that closed Wednesday's programme at the U.S. Open.

In a match that started on Wednesday and did not finish until 2.10 am local time on Thursday, world number one Nadal drowned out the deafening roars in Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the last four at the grand slam event for the first time.

"The night atmosphere here is always amazing here but I prefer to finish a little earlier," a beaming Nadal said courtside after securing a last-four showdown with Britain's Andy Murray.

"Thanks everyone for being here until 2 O'clock."

He later added: "For sure it was not the best conditions to play a tennis match. But sometimes the schedules are tough, like here, and Australia, too. So sometimes it's difficult. But... you just accept and go on court and try your best."

After overcoming a first-set hiccup, a merciless Nadal was steaming towards victory when he was suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Leading 3-2 in the fourth set, Nadal was distracted by a male fan who shouted out from the stands while the Spaniard was in full flight of his service motion.

Sportingly, Fish immediately stopped the point and then play was held up for several minutes as a security official went to deal with the offending fan.