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American Francis Tiafoe (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) is one set away from the biggest win of his career in his fourth-round meeting with Rafael Nadal at the US Open on Tuesday morning [AEST].
“I think that [the day timeslot] really suits Tiafoe, the faster conditions… a bit of work to do for Nadal and perhaps we have an upset brewing,” Jelena Dokic said in commentary.
Tiafoe, who has made the last 16 for the third successive year, won 12 of 16 first-serve points while hitting 14 winners and nine unforced errors on his way to taking the opening set 6-4.
It was hardly unfamiliar territory for Nadal though, being the third time in four matches at the US Open that he had dropped the opening set.
There was an early injury concern for Nadal though, who went off the court and took an eight-minute injury timeout between the first set ending and second starting to get taping done on his wrist.
The injury did not seem to be holding Nadal back though as the Spaniard responded to take the second set 6-4, breaking Tiafoe for the first time.
The American though refused to go away and scored a crucial break in the third, using his backhand well to go up 4-3 before taking the set 6-4.
Tiafoe won 15 of 26 first-serve points in the third set while hitting 13 winners to Nadal’s seven and firing five aces to the Spaniard’s two.
Nadal, who boasts a 22-0 record in Grand Slams this year, broke Tiafoe early to gain the advantage in the third as frustrations threatened to boil over for the American.
Tiafoe was at one point given an audible obscenity warning for complaining about the roof closing while he was serving.
But he regained his composure and then broke right back before saving two break points to level it at 3-3 in the fourth set.
Nadal is in a strong position to jump to top spot in the ATP rankings after Daniil Medvedev’s defeat to Nick Kyrgios on Monday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud also in the running.
Should Nadal defeat Tiafoe and advance to the quarter-finals, it will mean Alcaraz and Ruud must reach the final to have a chance to leave New York as world No.1.
Nadal had defeated close friend Richard Gasquet for the 18th time to reach the fourth round.
Four-time champion Nadal took his record over Gasquet to a perfect 18-0 with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 victory to stay on course for a 23rd Grand Slam title.
Tiafoe, meanwhile, saw off Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (9/7), 6-4, 6-4 to book his meeting with the Spanish superstar.
KYRGIOS, KOKKINAKIS BACK IN ACTION
There will be plenty of interest on the doubles court too, with Australian duo Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis back in action on Tuesday morning.
The pair took down Andre Goransson and Yoshi Nishioka 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to book their spot in the third round of the US Open doubles competition.
They are facing Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Brit Lloyd Glasspool, who defeated Brazilial Marcelo Melo and Raven Klaasen 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in their second round clash.
The Australians secured the break in the first to go up 3-1 in what commentator Mikey Perera described as an “early breakthrough” before going on to take the set 6-3.
Speaking on Channel 9 on Monday during Kyrgios’ win over Medvedev, Todd Woodbridge said Kyrgios’ experience playing doubles had undoubtedly helped his singles game.
“There is two points in a row where without any doubt in my mind doubles sharpness has helped him,” Woodbridge said.
“His volleys are crisper, they are being put away, the return quality has gone up levels. Not just a level. Multiple.”
They will now take on Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Brit Lloyd Glasspool, who knocked over Brazilial Marcelo Melo and Raven Klaasen 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in their second round clash.
In other news, fellow Australian duo Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden were knocked out by top seed Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-7, 6-3, 3-6 in the Round of 16.
WORLD NUMBER ONE OVERCOMES EARLY SCARE IN BIG WAY
Elsewhere, World number one Iga Swiatek became the first Polish woman to reach the US Open quarter-finals when she defeated Jule Niemeier in an error-strewn last-16 clash.
French Open champion Swiatek recovered from a set and a break down to see off her 108th-ranked German opponent, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Top seeded Swiatek will face US eighth seed Jessica Pegula for a place in the semi-finals.
In a mistake-riddled clash on Louis Armstrong Court, there were a total of 15 double faults, 12 breaks of serve and 76 unforced errors.
“It’s really satisfying. This is my first quarter-final in New York so I am really proud of it,” said Swiatek.
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Niemeier hadn’t won a hardcourt match in her career before coming to New York.
However, went into Monday’s match not having dropped a set and fired up to repeat her Wimbledon journey where she had also beaten world number two Anett Kontaveit.
The 23-year-old from Dortmund swept through the opener with breaks in the first and seventh games.
She held her nerve in an eight-minute second game of the second set, saving two break points.
Niemeier sensed a shock victory when she broke for 2-1 but Swiatek eventually prevailed, taking a set which featured seven breaks of serve in 10 games.
In the decider, the Pole raced to a 4-0 lead with the powerfully-built Niemeier only winning five points.
Moments later Swiatek completed victory with her 19th ‘bagel’ set of the season to wrap up a place in a third Grand Slam quarter-final of 2022.
Swiatek said her success in 2022 has been helped by her rigid loyalty to her walk-on play list which includes AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam.
“I have been listening to it all year and I am pretty bored with it,” she said. “But I am not going to change now.”
PEGULA CONTINUES AMERICAN CHARGE
Earlier, Pegula became the second American woman into this year’s US Open quarter-finals after brushing aside two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets.
The 28-year-old eighth seed shrugged off a rain delay on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to win 6-3, 6-2 and ease into a last eight meeting with world number one Swiatek.
Pegula, whose parents are the billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise, was always in control against out-of-sorts Czech veteran Kvitova, who had taken down Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the third round.
Pegula scored a break to go 4-3 up in the first set following the rain delay and then held for a 5-3 lead before breaking again for 6-3.
Kvitova appeared to raise her game in the second set and broke immediately before holding for a 2-0 lead.
But Kvitova’s game disintegrated thereafter – the Czech made 24 unforced errors in total – and Pegula reeled off six straight games to take the second set, clinching the match when Kvitova yanked a wild return wide.
Pegula has reached quarter-finals at the Australian Open and French Open this season but had never gone further than the third round in five previous appearances at the US Open.
She joins fellow American Coco Gauff in the last eight while compatriot Danielle Collins can join them when she faces Aryna Sabalenka later Tuesday [AEST].
RUBLEV SETS UP POSSIBLE NADAL REMATCH
Elsewhere, Andrey Rublev shrugged off a rain delay to breeze past Cameron Norrie and reach the quarter-finals for the third time.
The ninth-seeded Russian triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and will face either four-time champion Rafael Nadal or Frances Tiafoe of the United States for a place in the semi-finals.
Rublev lost to Nadal in the quarter-finals in New York in 2017.
“It was two and a half hours, it was tough,” said 24-year-old Rublev who had needed four hours and five sets to get past Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
“Cameron and I, we have known each other for a long time. I knew I had to give my best.
“I played a good match. I was able to win in three sets so I am super happy,” Rublev, who also made the last-eight in New York in 2017 and 2020, will be playing in his sixth quarter-final at the majors but has yet to progress further.
Monday’s fourth round clash was delayed by half an hour after the roof on Louis Armstrong Court was closed too late to prevent a sudden downpour from soaking the surface.
The delay, however, barely threw Rublev off his stride as he sealed victory on the back of 11 aces and 30 winners.
Norrie, the seventh seed, was undone by 35 unforced errors.
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