Rafa Nadal continued his amazing 2008 season with an amazing victory over American Andy Roddick to send Spain into the Davis Cup final.

Rafa fought off a strong Roddick challenge in the first set, then rolled to a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 triumph, giving the host country an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie. Feliciano Lopez then won a dead rubber against American Sam Querrey, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), to complete the 4-1 triumph over the defending Davis Cup champs

"Today I played an almost perfect match and it is very, very exciting," said Rafa after his win. "Today I played very well. I shocked myself with some of the winners I played, [it] was near perfect tennis."

The Spaniards will next face Argentina for the Davis Cup title from November 21-23. The Argentines will host the final after earning a 3-2 semifinal win over Russia.

Rafa ascended to the world's top ranking this year after winning his fourth straight French Open title and claiming his first-ever Wimbledon championship. He also claimed gold at the Beijing Olympics and will now get a chance to lead the Spaniards to their third Davis Cup crown and first since 2004.

Spain opened a 2-0 lead in this weekend's tie with singles victories on Friday. Rafa rallied from a set down to beat Querrey in four and David Ferrer outlasted Roddick in the second match, roaring back to win a five-set thriller, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6.

The Americans then stayed alive with a doubles victory on Saturday, as the team of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish won a five-set marathon against Fernando Verdasco and Lopez. Bryan and Fish, who replaced Bob Bryan when he backed out of the event with a shoulder injury, outlasted the Spanish duo 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted three hours, 16 minutes.

That gave the Americans some hope heading into Sunday, but Rafa ended it very quickly -- in just over two hours, in fact.

Rafa gained a break of serve for a 4-3 lead in the opening set, but Roddick had a chance to break back in the 10th game. He had two points to even the set, but missed a forehand on the first and Rafa ripped a forehand winner on the second. Rafa followed with another forehand winner before an ace closed out the set.

Roddick never recovered. He won just nine points in the 28-minute second set, as Nadal blitzed him with 17 winners to just two.

The third was a little more competitive. Roddick held serve to win the first game, but Rafa roared back to win the next three games to take control and finished the match with a service winner to complete a love game.

This marked the ninth meeting between the two countries in Davis Cup play and the Spaniards won for the fourth time. They also avenged a quarterfinal loss in North Carolina last year, a tie that propelled the United States to its record 32nd Davis Cup crown.

The United States is still alive in its Davis Cup defense, as the doubles duo of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish won a five-set marathon against Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez in a doubles rubber during the best-of-five semifinal.

Bryan and Fish, who replaced Bob Bryan when he backed out of the event with a shoulder injury, outlasted the Spanish duo 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted three hours, 16 minutes.

"It was very close. The toughest thing was to come back from two sets to one down and a break," said Lopez. "With a bit more luck we could have won. The crowd helped us a lot in the fourth set."

Spain now leads the best-of-five tie, 2-1, with a pair of singles rubbers on tap for Sunday. Rafael Nadal is set to face Andy Roddick and David Ferrer will meet Sam Querrey.

Rafa rallied from a set down to beat Querrey in four to give Spain the early lead in Friday's opening singles play. Ferrer then outlasted Roddick in the second match, roaring back to win a five-set thriller, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6.

Sunday's matches would have been meaningless if it wasn't for Bryan and Fish, who prevailed in a see-saw affair.

Verdasco and Lopez played a clean first set with just two unforced errors to 10 unforced miscues for the Americans. The Spanish team converted one break chance, which was enough to decide the set.

Fish and Bryan had just a 50 percent first-serve percentage in the second set, but won all of their 13 second-serve points and took the set to square the match. The American duo also won the third set before dropping the fourth set to force a fifth and deciding set.

Fatigue started to set in for both teams in a sloppy fifth set that featured 25 total unforced errors. A Lopez error midway through the final set gave the United States the only break it needed to post the victory at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.

"I admire the way Mardy (Fish) played today," said Mike Bryan. "It was tough to read Feliciano's (Lopez) serve. It was a hard fought battle. We took our chances when we got them but it took a little while to get going."

The United States and Spain are meeting for the ninth time in their history and for the fifth time this decade. The Americans are 5-3 against the Spaniards, winning the last meeting in a World Group quarterfinal last year in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Spain-USA winner will visit the Argentina-Russia victor in the final in November. The Argentines are playing host to the Russians in Buenos Aires.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and beat a visiting Russian squad in last year's finale in Portland. Spain owns two championships, including a 3-2 victory over the Americans in the 2004 final in Seville.

"It was very close," said Lopez. "In the fifth, if we've had a little more luck things might have gone our way."

Bryan said the "crowd was very loud and it wasn't easy, but we stayed tough.

"I admire the way Mardy played," he added. "In the fourth set, they had a break but I think we stayed together and calm."

The Americans admitted the Spanish duo's strong service gave them problems.

"We were going after the returns, they serve an unbelievably tough ball," said Fish.

Added Bryan, "I played them a few times this and this is the best I've seen them serve. It was a tough battle."

In Sunday's reverse singles Rafa will play Roddick, whom he beat in the 2004 final, and Ferrer will face Querrey.

US captain Patrick McEnroe admitted that he feared Rafa.

"We're playing the best clay court player in the world. Andy has to stay calm. He knows what he has to do, he's been in this position many times before."

Rafa leads Roddick 3-2 in career meetings.

The best-of-five Davis Cup semifinal between host Spain and the reigning champion United States commenced Friday, as Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer combined to give the favored Spaniards a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the weekend.

Rafa dropped the first set against Sam Querrey before rebounding for a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 decision in the first of the opening singles rubbers. In the nightcap, a gritty Ferrer came from behind to top former world No. 1 Andy Roddick 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 1-6, 6-4, 8-6 on a temporary clay court at Madrid's Plaza de Toros Las Ventas. More than 20,000 fans packed the bullring on Day 1.

Rafa prevailed in 3 hours, 17 minutes against a game Querrey. The five-time major champion broke Querrey's big serve on four occasions, while the American could manage only one break throughout the match.

The 39th-ranked Querrey tallied 17 more winners (76-59), including 17 aces, than Rafa, but also piled up 74 unforced errors to help the world No. 1 Spaniard along.

Querrey, making his Davis Cup debut, is filling in this week for James Blake, who helped the U.S. win its first Davis Cup title in 12 years last year, but pulled out of this semifinal last week, citing exhaustion.

In the nightcap, the fifth-ranked Ferrer outlasted the world No. 8 Roddick in 3 hours, 17 minutes, despite the fact that Roddick launched 22 aces, broke Ferrer's serve on twice as many occasions (6-3) and watched the Spaniard pile up no less than nine double faults.

Roddick appeared to take control of the match by winning sets two and three in easy fashion, but Ferrer fought back to sneak out the next two sets for the big point.

On Saturday, the doubles rubber here will pit a Spanish team of lefthanders Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco against an American duo of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, who joined the draw this week when it was announced that Bob Bryan would be unable to play for the U.S. due to a shoulder injury. A victory by Lopez and Verdasco would send the Spaniards into the final. The hosts only have to win one of the final three rubbers.

Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Rafa to meet Roddick and Ferrer to take on Querrey.

The Spaniards are captained by Emilio Sanchez, while Patrick McEnroe is guiding the U.S.

The United States and Spain are meeting for the ninth time in their history and for the fifth time this decade. The Americans are 5-3 against the Spaniards, winning the last meeting in a World Group quarterfinal last year in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Spain-USA winner will visit the Argentina-Russia victor in the final in November. The Argentines are playing host to the Russians in Buenos Aires.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and beat a visiting Russian squad in last year's finale in Portland. Spain owns two championships, including a 3-2 victory over the Americans in the 2004 final in Seville.

Rafa Nadal will open up Friday's reverse singles against American Sam Querrey, as Spain and the defending champion United States meet in a best-of-five Davis Cup semifinal in Madrid.

Rafa and No. 39 Querrey will do battle, followed by a rubber between Spaniard David Ferrer and former world No. 1 American Andy Roddick on Day 1. Querrey is filling in this week for James Blake, who helped the U.S. win its first Davis Cup title in 12 years last year, but pulled out of this semifinal last week, citing exhaustion.

On Saturday, the doubles rubber will pit a Spanish team of lefthanders Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco against an American duo of Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, who joined the draw this week when it was announced that Bob Bryan would be unable to play for the U.S. due to a shoulder injury.

Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Nadal to meet Roddick and Ferrer to take on Querrey, who will make his Davis Cup debut here on Friday.

The tie will be staged on a temporary clay court at Madrid's Plaza de Toros Las Ventas. The favored Spaniards are captained by Emilio Sanchez, while Patrick McEnroe guides the U.S.

The United States and Spain will meet for the ninth time in their history and for the fifth time this decade. The Americans are 5-3 against the Spaniards, winning the last meeting in a World Group quarterfinal last year in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Spain-USA winner will visit the Argentina-Russia victor in the final in November. The Argentines play host to the Russians in Buenos Aires this week.

The U.S. leads all nations with 32 Davis Cup titles and beat a visiting Russian squad in last year's finale in Portland. Spain owns two championships, including a 3-2 victory over the Americans in the 2004 final in Seville.

Rafa Nadal believes the unusual setting for the upcoming Davis Cup semi-final against the United States will make the match an "unforgettable" experience for him.

The contest will take place at Madrid's awe-inspiring Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, an arena normally reserved for bullfighting but which also doubles as a venue for other events such as music concerts.

"It is going to be an unforgettable experience to play in an arena like Las Ventas," said Rafa. "It is special to play at home and more so in a place like this."

Rafa will be the big draw for this weekend's clash following a remarkable season which has seen the 22-year-old Mallorcan win eight tournaments - including the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic gold - whilst also replacing Roger Federer as world number one.

Rafa also boasts a hugely impressive Davis Cup singles record, having won eight of his nine matches and six out of six on clay, and this weekend he will be hoping to guide Spain into their sixth final when they take on defending champions the US.

"It's true that I've had an intense season, but to play at home against the United States in a Davis Cup semi-final is an extra motivation for me," said Rafa, whose hopes of adding the US Open title to his list of achievements was ended by his semi-final defeat to Andy Murray earlier this month.

"I cannot judge how I am yet. There are three and a half days remaining, but you need to be at your best because it is going to be a difficult match," Rafa added.

Rafa Nadal will lead Spain's Davis Cup team against the defending champion U.S. squad for their semi-final in Madrid next week, captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said this week.

Rafa, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Nicolas Almagro (the latter named as cover for the four-man team in case of any setbacks during the preparations) were named as the team that will compete against the U.S. on Sept. 19-21 in Madrid.

Earlier this month, the U.S. revealed their team made up of Andy Roddick, James Blake and Bob and Mike Bryan for a record 11th straight time.

The matches will be played on clay. Rafa is a four-time winner of the French Open, the only major played on the surface. The winner will face either Argentina or Russia in the final in November. The U.S. won its record 32nd Davis Cup last year by defeating Russia. Before last year's title though, the Americans hadn't won the top team event in men's tennis in 12 years.

Ferrer is ranked fifth in the ATP rankings, while Verdasco is 15th and Lopez is 38th. Almagro, who's ranked 18th, is an alternate for the Spanish team. Roddick holds the eighth spot, and Blake is 11th. The Bryan brothers are the top-ranked doubles team.

"It takes a while to adapt to playing at altitude and if all the players are there from the outset, we are better able to cope with any emergencies that may occur," Sanchez Vicario told a news conference.

He denied Almagro's presence was prompted by any worries that Rafa may be suffering from fatigue. "Rafa has had a spectacular season and I am delighted because he has a lot of confidence at present," Sanchez Vicario said.

"He lost a match but the tiredness and stress are within normal limits. He has a few days to recover, to sleep and relax, before he comes here. He is very enthusiastic about this tie and when he's like that there is no problem."

The semi-final against the holders will be held outdoors on clay in Madrid's 21,000-seat bullring at Las Ventas.

"The United States are the champions, have a great team spirit, and have been together for many years," Sanchez Vicario said. "All the games will be very difficult and it should be a great spectacle."

Britain's Andy Murray advanced to his first Grand Slam final by upsetting Rafa on Sunday in a US Open semi-final, booking a date with reigning champion Roger Federer on Monday.

The 21-year-old Scotsman defeated Rafa in 4 sets, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4 in a match that began Saturday but was halted by rain in the third set.

That storm pushed the showdown with 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer to Monday, the first time since 1987 that bad weather has postponed the year's last Grand Slam tournament to an extra day

This last-four contest resumed on the Arthur Ashe stadium at 21.30BST with the number six seed from Scotland leading by two sets to one, but trailing a break in the third set and within minutes it was obvious to all those in attendance that a different Rafa had turned up to the one that we saw yesterday.

Rafael immediately held on to his first service game and despite Murray also comfortably holding on to his serve, Rafa had soon wrapped up the third set 6-4, taking us into a thrilling fourth set.

However, initially the omens did not look that promising for Murray, who was immediately broken in his opening service game as he was at the start of the third set on Saturday evening as Rafa powered into a two-love, followed by a three-one, lead.

And yet in what turned out to be a wonderfully-fluctuating set of tennis that thrilled the 16,000 in attendance in the Big Apple, Murray showed great resilience to break back with what turned out to be a breathless exhibition of hard-court tennis.

That break back cleary unnerved and rattled the world's best player and as his opponent cranked up the pressure, Rafa began to wilt, none more so than when serving to stay in the match at 4-5 down in the fourth.

And, on his first match point, Murray reacted smartly to a Rafa drop-shot to drive the ball into the open spaces of the court and with it seal his place in Monday night's final against the four-time champion Roger Federer, when he will attempt to become the first British winner of the US Open since Fred Perry 72 years ago.

The arrival of the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna at Flushing Meadows forced U.S. Open organisers to postpone the conclusion of the semi-final between Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and the women's final to Sunday.

Sixth seed Murray was leading world number one Rafa 6-2 7-6 2-3 when rain stopped play at 2:48 p.m local time on Saturday.

With heavy downpours expected to last for the rest of the day, play was cancelled on the 13th day of the hardcourt major.

The women's final between twice former champion Serena Williams and Serbian second seed Jelena Jankovic, which should have taken place in Saturday's evening session, was rescheduled for 9 p.m. local time on Sunday (2 a.m. British time Monday), weather permitting.

The match between Rafa and Murray was moved from the main showcourt to Louis Armstrong Court and began one hour 40 minutes after the start of the first semi-final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Four-times champion Roger managed to get back into the locker room before the storm swept through the National Tennis Center by reaching his fifth successive final with a 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Federer is now guaranteed an extra 24 hours' rest since Murray and Rafa will resume their semi-final tussle on Sunday, with the men's final slotted in for Monday.

It will be the first time since 1987 that the men's showpiece at the U.S. Open will be contested on a third Monday of the tournament.

Rafael Nadal won the prestigious Prince of Asturias sports award Wednesday, adding more glitter to his already incredible season on the tennis tour. Click here to read Rafa's exclusive statement after recieving the award!

TODAY'S NEWS: Rafa Nadal battled back and advanced to his first US Open semi-final by defeating 35th-ranked American Mardy Fish 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 early Thursday morning.

The number one seed ousted Fish after two hours and 40 minutes, finishing at 2:10 in the morning and thanking the hearty fans who stayed to the end of a day full of long matches

"I'm very happy for being the first time in the semi-finals of the US Open," Rafa said. "Mardy played very well in the first set, served unbelievably well."

Rafa will face British sixth seed Andy Murray in Saturday's semi-finals of the year's last Grand Slam tennis tournament.

"It's going to be very difficult. I'm going to have to play my best," Nadal said. "He's coming with big confidence. He's doing very well. I expect a very tough match."

Rafa could match Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer as the only men to win three Slam titles in a row in the 40-year Open era. The only Spaniard to win the US Open was Manuel Orantes in 1975, when the event was played on clay.

Left-hander Rafa has a 5-0 career record against Murray, who reached his first Grand Slam final with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/1), 4-6, 7-5 victory over Argentina's 19-year-old Juan Martin Del Potro.

"It’s an incredible honour for me to receive the ‘Principe de Asturias Sport Award’. I’m extremely grateful to the jury and everyone else who chose me as it’s an achievement greater than usual, it makes me feel proud.

Not only does this represent great sport values but also, and most importantly, good human values. This award is one of the best things that could happen to me outside of the tennis court because it says to me I’m doing this right when it comes to human values."

"I always try to do the right thing inside and outside of the tennis courts no matter what. This award represents something different to a sports award and the fact that it’s been given to me means it’s not only thanks to my hard work but also because of those around me, specially my family."

"To be given an award like this in what has been a very special year for Spain’s sport makes it even that much more special.

All nominees are of an extremely high level and the simple fact that I was considered amongst this group of people is satisfactory enough, even if I had not won the award." said the champion this morning. 

afa Nadal has been honoured with the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports. The Jury for the Award announced its decision today in Oviedo.

Rafa Nadal is the Number one tennis player in the world and is considered the best Spanish player of all time. This season, the four-time winner of the French Open, also won the men's singles title at Wimbledon and was the gold medallist at the Beijing Olympic Games. Committed to the noblest values of sport on and off the court, his sense of social responsibility led him to establish a foundation focussing on social work among disadvantaged groups and cooperation for development.

fael Nadal was born in Manacor (Majorca) in 1986 and started practising tennis at the age of five. After setting a record of 160 consecutive weeks as second seed, he seized the Number 1 ranking from Roger Federer (Switzerland) on 18th August this year in a season in which he also successfully defended his titles at the Masters Series Monte Carlo −for the fourth year running− and at the Conde de Godó Championship, as well as winning his first titles at Hamburg and in Canada.

He began his successful career in the lower categories and in 1999 became Spanish junior doubles champion as well as winning the Nike Junior Tour International Masters Tournament in Barcelona, in the under-14 category. A professional player since 2001, he was one of the members of the Spanish team that won the Winter Cup in Montecatini (Italy). He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in the junior category in 2002 and that same year became Junior Davis Cup champion in a tournament in which he won two of the three points that gave Spain its victory over the USA.

His rise to fame on the international scene commenced in 2003, the year in which he began to face up to the world’s top seeds. He reached the third round at Montecarlo and was ranked for the first time among the top 100 seeds, a record in ranking and age only previously achieved by Michael Chang (USA). An elbow injury stopped him from competing at French Open in 2003, where he was expected after winning the Prix Burgeon as the tennis player revelation of the year. He made his debut at Wimbledon in June 2003, winning his first Grand Slam title. His rapid progress as a professional won him the Tennis Player Newcomer Award conferred by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that same year.

In 2004 he formed part of the team that won the second Davis Cup for Spain, becoming the youngest player ever to have won this competition. His good results on clay situated him as favourite in his first French Open, in 2005, where his victory in the final gave him his first Grand Slam title. That same season he won eleven individual titles.

In 2006 he also won the French Open and broke the record held by Guillermo Vilas (Argentina) by winning more than 54 consecutive matches on clay during the first round, as well as becoming the only tennis player to beat the World Number 1 at the time, Roger Federer (Switzerland), in a final. By the end of the tournament, he had been unbeaten in 60 consecutive matches, becoming the best player in history on clay. When he lost the final in Hamburg in 2007, his record stood at 81 consecutive victories. He won the French Open again in 2007 and 2008, making him the only player, alongside Borg (Switzerland), to hold four consecutive Roland Garros titles. In 2008 he created the Rafael Nadal Foundation, a charitable organisation focussing on social work among disadvantaged groups and cooperation for development.

The acknowledgements he has received include the Barón de Güell Cup at the 2004 Spanish National Sports Awards as part of the Spanish Davis Cup team; the 2006 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Prize; and the 2006 National Sports Prize, awarded by the Spanish Council for Sports. In 2008 he received the ESPY Best Male International Athlete Award (USA) and was bestowed with the Gold Medal by Majorca Chamber of Commerce.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation’s statutes establish that the aim of the Awards is to acknowledge and extol ‘scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanistic work carried out by individuals, groups or institutions worldwide’. Consonant with this spirit, the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports ‘will be bestowed upon the individual, group or institution whose lives are not only examples to others, but who have also reached new heights in mankind's struggle for excellence, and who have contributed by their efforts to perfecting, nurturing, promoting and disseminating sport’.

This year a total of 29 candidatures from Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Rumania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine and Spain ran for the award.

This is the seventh of eight Prince of Asturias Awards, which are being bestowed for the twenty-eighth consecutive year. The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts went to the Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela, founded by José Antonio Abreu, the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation was given to the organisations leading the fight against malaria in Africa: Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre (Tanzania), the Malaria Research and Training Centre (Mali), Kintampo Health Research Centre (Ghana) and Manhiça Health Research Centre (Mozambique), the Scientific and Technical Research Award was jointly granted to five scientists, worldwide leaders in the creation of new materials for the benefit of mankind: the physicist, Sumio Iijima; the engineers, Shuji Nakamura and Robert Langer; and the chemists, George M. Whitesides and Tobin Marks. The Award for Communication and Humanities was given to Google, the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Science went to Tzvetan Todorov and the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters was given to Margaret Atwood. The Prince of Asturias Award for Concord will be announced next 10th September.

Each of the Prince of Asturias Awards, which date back to 1981, is endowed with 50,000 Euros, a commissioned sculpture donated by Joan Miró, a diploma and an insignia. The awards will be presented in the autumn in Oviedo at a grand ceremony chaired by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.

SEE PRESS RELEASES AT THE PRINCE OF ASTURIAS FOUNDATION WEBPAGE:

 http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org