Ferrer gets past Tipsarevic in 5 sets at US Open

NEW YORK (AP) - David Ferrer needed a mid-match pedicure of sorts. He seemed bothered when his opponent got a mid-game medical timeout. He was down a break in the fifth set.

In the end, though, the indefatigable Spaniard was barely better, as he usually is when matches go the distance.

The fourth-seeded Ferrer outlasted eighth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-3, 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) in 4 hours, 31 minutes Thursday to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the second time.

Ferrer trailed 4-1 in the last set, but in the next game, Tipsarevic slammed to the ground while chasing a drop shot and stayed down for a few moments. Tipsarevic later had his right thigh taped up.

Ferrer, also a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows in 2007, has won four consecutive five-setters.