Chang Takes Marathon Five-Set Victory Propels No. 2 Seed Into Semifinals Against Patrick Rafter

Advantage, Chang.

Fifth set. No problem.

Three hours. No big deal.

Never one to finish a match fast, Michael Chang ran and ran Thursday night, leaving skid marks on the court until he got into familiar territory. Then he ran Marcelo Rios out of the U.S. Open, 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Chang’s second straight five-set victory sent him into Saturday’s semifinals against Patrick Rafter, a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-2 winner over Magnus Larsson.

Though not as fatiguing as the 3-hour, 41-minute marathon Chang won in the fourth round against Cedric Pioline, the second-seeded American waged a harder-hitting duel against the 10th-seeded Rios.

Chang took an hour to recover from the match, stretching and guzzling fluids to avoid cramping, before he spoke about it while standing.

“I don’t want to sit too much. I don’t want to stiffen up,” Chang said. “If I cramp up I might be here another 2 hours.”

Chang realizes that he has the chance of a lifetime to win the U.S. Open, now that Pete Sampras is gone, and he said that caused him to be tense and apprehensive all day. He spent most of the day e-mailing friends and talking to relatives, asking them to pray for him.

“Normally, I’m able to just concentrate,” he said. “Today was really difficult. I’m not going to kid you or lie to you, but it is a bit of a new situation for me. Even though I’m No. 2 in the world, I don’t normally go into a Grand Slam favored. This Grand Slam was no different till Pete lost.

“Today the pressure did get to me quite a bit. I was just fortunate to be able to have the kind of support that I’ve had through family and friends.”

As Chilean fans cheered and chanted for Rios, the two players pummeled each other from the baseline and ventured to the net whenever they had a chance - a departure from both their styles.

The difference between them came down to the eighth game of the final set, when Chang led 4-3 and launched one last attack on Rios’ serve. On the first point, Chang slugged a rare one-handed backhand that zipped past Rios as the Chilean dove for it and scraped his knee rolling on the court.

That point took its toll on the next one as Rios double-faulted for only the third time in the match. Rattled but still fighting, Rios ran down a ball in the next rally and drilled a forehand down the line, only to see Chang rip it back with a backhand cross court for a love-40 lead.

Rios saved two break points, but couldn’t save the third, sending a backhand wide to fall behind 5-3 and let Chang serve for the match.

The end didn’t come easily for Chang - he had to fend off two break points of his own - but he prevailed as he usually does in five-setters, putting it away with a service winner at deuce and a forehand winner at match point.

“Oh man, I was so stressed,” Chang said. “Marcelo was such a talented player. I knew it would be a tough match. It was an unbelievable match. It could have gone either way.”

Of the four men left standing, Chang is the only one who has won a Grand Slam title, the only one who has even been to a major final, and the only American.

“It’s going to be a super Saturday,” he said.

Rafter, spearheading a revival of Australia’s proud tennis tradition, reached his second Grand Slam semifinal this year with a classic attack reminiscent of his famous mentors.

Rafter’s victory bore all the hallmarks of the great players of Australia’s past, from John Newcombe to Rod Laver, from Tony Roche to Ken Rosewall to Pat Cash.

The link between the long-haired Rafter and those champions is evident in his serve-and-volley style, his powerfully sculpted legs, and the pleasure he takes from the game - even down to clowning a bit at match point as he did against Larsson.

Coming into the U.S. Open, Rafter had already achieved his year’s goal of cracking the top 30 - he was seeded No. 13 - and his victory over Larsson will put the Aussie into the Top 10 when the next ATP Tour rankings come out next week.

“I was thinking about that on the court,” Rafter said. “All the dreams, all the things I’ve worked for.”

Rafter paid homage to the Australian champions who preceded him and who have helped him so much as he’s overcome wrist and ankle problems the past two years and a shoulder injury more recently.

MEMO: Changed from the Idaho edition.