DHAKA: Practice made perfect for Stanislas Wawrinka at the U.S. Open.

The Swiss used all his nous to dump his hitting partner Andy Murray out of the final grand slam of the season in stunning style.

The world No. 10 ended the defending champion`s run in New York 6-4 6-3 6-2 to reach the first grand slam semi final of his career.

"It feels amazing," Wawrinka said on court after the match. "The defending champion is a tough opponent and I`m really happy.

"It was a crazy match for me."

The 28 year old Swiss guessed his chances of beating the Wimbledon champion would come down to confidence.

Confidence was exactly what Murray appeared to be lacking on a windy Arthur Ashe court.

The Briton was attempting to defend a grand slam title for the first time and the nerves showed.

It was on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows that the 26 year old had claimed his first grand slam title in 2012 before ending Britain`s wait for a home grown Wimbledon champion in July.

But Murray failed to find his rhythm and smashed his racquet to the ground, mashing its head in the process, when he lost a tight opening set.

There was no more histrionics from the Wimbledon champion as Wawrinka steadily pressed Murray`s weaknesses and fired down his fierce forehands to wrap up the match inside three sets.

"I though he played great," said a downbeat Murray to reporters afterwards. "And that was the hardest part of the match.

"I made a few mistakes and for the most part I didn`t create a break point chance

"When it`s breezy conditions everyone takes time to feel comfortable but I played poorly. I had a good run the last couple of years and it`s a shame I had to play a bad match."

Wawrinka now goes on to face either Serbia`s world No. 1 Novak Djokovic or Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who meet in the night session, for a place in the Flushing Meadows final.

The 28 year old finds himself in a unique position of being the highest ranked Swiss player left in the men`s draw after his good friend Roger Federer -- a five time winner in New York -- went out in the fourth round.

While the Swiss star continues to be mastered by his see sawing form, Wawrinka believes he is in the form of his life.

He is eager to see how far his purple patch will take him after joining resurgent Frenchman Richard Gasquet and Spanish favorite Rafael Nadal in the semi finals.

Source: CNN
BDST: 0936 HRS, SEP 06, 2013
RS/GCP