Nadal, Federer eye Slam final rematch but foes want change

NEW YORK (AFP) - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are on the verge of a third consecutive Grand Slam title showdown but the world's other two top tennis players are intent on changing the plot for the US Open final.

Four-time defending champion Federer will face Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and world number one Nadal, the Wimbledon and French Open champion, will face British sixth seed Andy Murray in semi-finals set for Saturday.

Heavy rain in the forecast could delay the drama, but whenever the Fab Four step on the court to decide the finalists in the year's last Grand Slam event, expect tension-filled confrontations setting the stage for a date with destiny.

Second seed Federer has to hope it's third-time lucky after losing his third consecutive French Open final to Nadal and seeing the Spaniard deny him a sixth Wimbledon title in a row in one of the greatest matches ever played.

Federer enters his record 18th consecutive Slam semi-final, a rematch of his 2007 US Open final triumph over Djokovic, on a 33-match US Open win streak. Bill Tilden's run of 42 from 1920 to 1926 is the only longer men's streak.

The 27-year-old Swiss superstar has won 12 Grand Slam singles crowns, two shy of matching the all-time record of Pete Sampras, but this could be the first year since 2002 that Federer does not win at least one.