Blake awakes from year of nightmares

Threat of Nadal snuffed out as assured American continues impressive form and remarkable recovery

Nadal, who had won his previous seven matches against American opponents and arrived at Flushing Meadows with a haul of nine tournaments this year and primed to challenge Roger Federer for the title, was made to look ordinary at times as Blake triumphed, 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-1.

The 25-year-old New Yorker has recovered from a nightmare 2004 during which he broke his neck after colliding with a net-post, then had a bout of shingles, and also had to deal with the death of his father. Even though Blake won an ATP Tour event in New Haven on the eve of the championships, raising his world ranking to No 49, his prospects were not considered high.

In the first round, Greg Rusedski, the British No 2, held a set point against him in the opening set and two more in the second set. But well though Rusedski played, Blake's form was impressive and he prevailed, 7-5 7-6 6-3. Inspired by playing his second-round match under floodlights on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Blake gave a splendid display in defeating the Russian Igor Andreev in straight sets. Blake returned to the main arena in glorious sunshine yesterday and secured a victory that lit up the faces of everybody who had been mourning Andy Roddick's elimination in the first round.

After Nadal levelled the match in the second set, the home supporters began to shift uneasily, fearing that Nadal's power and stamina would dominate. The reverse was the case, the American playing with even more assurance than in the opening set. He dropped only two points off his serve in the third set, breaking for 3-2 with a beautifully judged forehand lob and breaking again at 5-3 with a smash.

Nadal, warned for time-wasting as he fiddled with the tape on the handle of his racket after the first point of the fourth set, created a break point with a hefty forehand drive. Blake responded with an ace, a forehand drive of his own, and held with a service winner. From that moment, the Spaniard's game was put under severe pressure. He held for 1-1 with an ace, and did not win another game. Blake broke in the fourth and sixth games and won all but one of the last 24 points.

Andy Murray was the last Briton standing. Unfortunately, in the fifth set of his second-round match against the Frenchman Arnaud Clement, he was able to do little more than stand. The 18-year-old from Dunblane, who has made remarkable progress since winning the US Open junior title a year ago, tends to bristle when the question of his fitness is raised. It is, however, a vital issue, as was evidenced at Wimbledon, and again here on Friday night.

Clement, a 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence who incorporates cycling up to l'Alpe d'Huez on the Tour de France course in his training regimen, had, in common with Murray, played three qualifying round matches the week before he championships.

Clement, a finalist at the Australian Open in 2001, was "a little bit surprised" that Murray faded so dramatically after recovering from two sets to love down to lose, 6-2 7-6 2-6 6-7 6-0 after four hours. "He moved very well at the end of the fourth set," Clement said, "and just in five minutes, nothing. He didn't play the last set. He didn't move during 20 minutes. I don't know if he was cramping or anything else."

Clement, who admitted to cramping in his final round of qualifying, added: "[Murray] has two years to work, for sure, and he's going to improve in the fitness department. He has a very good serve. He moved well during four sets. He has very good hands. He has lots of qualities, but he still has to work to improve."

Murray, who hit 26 aces and often served in access of 130mph, made a sluggish start by then settled into a contest of long rallies, frequently hitting marvellous angled shots. But when it came to the crux he was dead on his feet.

"In the fifth set, when I got broken, I ran out of gas," Murray said. "Coming back from two sets to love down against someone who's playing as well as he is mentally is pretty difficult." After the opening game of the final set, Murray received treatment for cramp in his right thigh. "I didn't really get any cramp after I saw the trainer," he said. "I couldn't move. Mentally, I lost it after I got broken. I just got really tired, completely drained of everything."