Murray stuns No. 1 Nadal in US Open semifinals

He explained, though, that he was thrilled to have seen his favorite comedic actor, Will Ferrell, in the stands on Sunday, and was also excited to have spotted members of the cast of the TV show "Entourage" at the tournament.

"That's awesome," the 21-year-old Murray said. "You don't get that back home."

Others might be star-struck staring across the net at Federer, who will be attempting to win his 13th Grand Slam title while Murray chases his first.

But get this: Murray owns a 2-1 career mark against Federer.

"He's probably the greatest player ever, so to get the chance to play against him in a Slam final is an honor," Murray said. "But I've played well against him in the past and hopefully ... I'll do that again tomorrow."

Serena Williams was to face Jelena Jankovic late Sunday in the women's final, postponed a day because of rain. Williams was seeking her third U.S. Open title and ninth major title overall.

Nadal, meanwhile, was hoping to become only the fourth man in the 40-year Open era to win three consecutive Grand Slam titles, joining Rod Laver, Pete Sampras and Federer. But Nadal has never had as much success on the hard courts of the U.S. Open as on the clay of Roland Garros or the grass of the All England Club.

He beat Federer in the finals at both of those arenas this year and surpassed him atop the rankings last month.

On Saturday and Sunday, though, Murray exhibited precisely the sort of winner-evaporating defense that Nadal usually employs to wear down opponents.

Murray stood waaaaaaay back to return serves, sometimes 10 feet (3 meters) behind the baseline, in order to better adjust to the heavy spins Nadal uses.

It was the mix of strokes and smarts that have allowed Murray to progress so quickly and guarantee that he'll reach a career-high ranking of No. 4 after the U.S. Open. One sign of his growth: He had won only two of 14 sets he and Nadal had played as professionals, then matched that total on Saturday.

"I played well enough to beat the No. 1 player in the world over two days, and I've beaten Roger in the past," Murray said. "I have the tennis to compete with those guys."