New Haven, CT (My Sportsbook) - Rising American Sam Querrey ousted top- seeded Russian star Nikolay Davydenko on Thursday to reach the semifinals at the $750,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S. Open tune-up. Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco joined Querrey in the final four.

The sixth-seeded world No. 23 Querrey toppled the eighth-ranked Davydenko in 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 fashion in 1 hour, 41 minutes on the hardcourts at Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. The big-hitting Querrey fired 15 aces at Davydenko, a finalist here three years ago.

The 6-foot-6 Querrey titled in Los Angeles earlier this month and has appeared in four finals already this season. The 21-year-old Californian captured the US Open Series points title leading into the upcoming U.S. Open, which will get underway Monday in New York.

The lefthanded Verdasco made quick 57-minute work of Austrian and fellow southpaw Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1.

Up next for Verdasco will be seventh-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, who outlasted Argentine Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 on Day 5 here.

The other semifinal will be between Querrey and Argentine Jose Acasuso, who downed Frenchman Florent Serra, 7-5, 6-4.

This week's winner will collect $94,000.