After three hours of tennis wrought with tension, Robby Ginepri was hoping for a quick finish. With three match points in his favor, he needed one more double fault, and a berth in the semifinals was his.

The 22-year-old American had to wait two games, but that last double fault finally arrived. Ginepri, who had played two five-set matches in his career when he began the U.S. Open last week, yesterday survived his third since Saturday, defeating no. 8 seed Guillermo Coria 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. The first Grand Slam semifinal of his career had gone from improbable dream to reality, and Ginepri understandably looked stunned. He will be one half an All-American semifinal contest on Saturday.

“I don’t think it’s really sunken in yet,” Ginepri said. “Just overwhelmed right now. Just exhausted.”

The rallies were long and anxiety was high throughout the afternoon, as both players scampered around the court in hopes of tiring the other out. Ginepri, who is quickly earning a reputation as one of the fittest men in tennis, needed every last ounce of energy against the Argentine Coria, perhaps the game’s fastest player, not to mention an exceptional shot maker and a deceptively powerful ball striker at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds. Both players at times buckled down – and buckled under – during tight moments.

In the fifth set, Ginepri double-faulted twice and missed two forehands to give Coria a 4-3 lead. Coria returned the favor a game later, double faulting on break point.

Coria held two match points in the French Open final last year, yet ended up the loser, so it was no surprise to see him crumbling under pressure. To his credit, he played with conviction yesterday when he faced three match points at 0-40. As Ginepri’s nerves got the better of him, Coria hit an overhead off the bounce that clipped the net and landed in for a winner. He ended the threat with a backhand winner after a bruising rally.

Coria staved off defeat on his next service game, too, running around a backhand and smacking a forehand winner on Ginepri’s fourth match point. On the fifth match point, he served and volleyed and guided a ball into the open court, watching nervously as it fell softly inside the line. On match point no. 6, however, Coria could not heave one last serve over the net. It was his 14th double fault of the day, and the final blow Ginepri needed.

Afterward, Coria said through a translator that his serve was affected by a nerve injury that created stiffness in his forearm and shoulder, preventing him from properly gripping his racket. Coria missed the U.S. Open last year after undergoing shoulder surgery, and this recent injury may be related. He served 20 double faults in his fourth round match against Nicolas Massu.

Coria is not one of the most popular players on tour, and he and Massu looked like they might come to blows on Monday when they argued over injuries and delays during the match. Yesterday, however, Coria was courteous, a few times congratulating Ginepri on difficult shots. When Coria sprinted to retrieve a drop shot in the fifth set and tapped a winner into the open court, the two weary opponents smiled and exchanged high fives.

“At the decisive moments, he played better,” Coria said. “He won because he deserved it.”