NEW YORK, September 3, 2017
Rafael Nadal booked his place in the fourth round of the US Open on Saturday afternoon. The 31-year-old Spaniard overcame Argentine lucky loser Leonardo Mayer 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 with the roof closed on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Nadal had 25 break point chances but could only convert six of them. He finished the encounter after three hours and 15 minutes to reach the stage of the last 16 in New York for the ninth time.
“When you see that you lost a set that you had triple more opportunities than your opponent, then of course you are in trouble. At the beginning of the second, I had break points again. After that, finally I converted one at the 14th opportunity. After that, the match was completely different,” told Nadal.
“You need matches like this. Then now I have the opportunity to compete again, to try to do it well. I am in the second week. That’s the important thing. I already won three matches in a row. That’s important news for me.”
Nadal will next play Aleksandr Dolgopolov, who beat Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in just one hour and 22 minutes.
“It’s unbelievable, really,” said Dolgopolov. “It’s one of my best matches lately. I’m really happy that I’m healthy again. I’m playing five-set matches, winning, not just one but quite a few. Now I’m in the second week, so it’s unbelievable.”
Thiem To Face Del Potro
Dominic Thiem secured a 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Adrian Mannarino. The sixth seed from Austria, who has won all five previous meetings against the French leftie, hit 39 winners and broker serve four times to prevail after two hours and 12 minutes. Thiem has reached the stage of the final 16 in New York for the third time in four years taking on Juan Martin Del Potro next.
The 2009 champion from Argentina claimed his third straight-sets win of the tournament, as he edged past Roberto Bautista-Agut of Spain 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
“I think I played the best match of the tournament,” said del Potro. “I hit so well my forehand. I served well during the whole match. I played very smart with my slice. I came to the net very often, tried to be aggressive all the time, and I think I played well.”
18th seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils retired at 7-5, 5-1 down against the tournament’s number nine David Goffin as he appeared to suffer from a leg injury on Armstrong Stadium. Next up for the Belgian will be #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev. The 19-year-old Russian defeated Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to continue his dream run.
Elsewhere, Philipp Kohlschreiber advanced to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time. The 33-year-old German beat Australian John Millman 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 on Court 17.
“I am very pleased with my performance. It was tough work today but I served and moved well so I am very happy,” Kohlschreiber told.
Pliskova Fights Into Fourth Round
For the second match running Karolina Pliskova secured a comeback victory in three sets, beating Shuai Chang 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. World No. 1 fired nine aces and broke serve six times to keep her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam alive. The match lasted two hours and 19 minutes.
Daria Kasatkina has seen off the reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 with an emphatic performance. The Russian World No. 38 won 11 games in a row during the match to secure victory after one hour and 11 minutes.
The 20-year-old will next meet Kaia Kanepi after the Estonian proved too strong for Naomi Osaka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
