Rafael Nadal insists he is still capable of challenging for grand slams despite his surprise fourth-round loss to Lucas Pouille at the US Open. And so he weathered Pouille’s blistering groundstrokes to recover from zero-one and one-two deficits and force a decisive fifth set. It matches his 2016 Wimbeldon finish for the furthest he has gone in a tournament.
Advertisement
Pouille told media wing that ” It’s my first match on the centre court, against Rafa. “The opponent played a good point on match point, and that’s it”.
The tennis player from France Lucas Pouille beats Rafael Nadal in four-hour match, their game became a sensation on the 2016 US Open courts. Pouille will face his countryman Monfils in the quarterfinals.
The 30-year-old also fell victim to an inspired Pouille performance, the talented world number 25 unleashing a relentless display of power to record the biggest win of his career.
Rory McIlroy came within a whisker of making the first albatross of his career but had to settle for an eagle at the par-five 18th in the third round at the Deutsche Bank Championship in MA on Sunday.
Nadal was eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open, pulled out of the French Open before his third-round match with a wrist injury and then had to skip Wimbledon as a result of the problem that forced him to withdraw in Paris.
Rafa Nadal said he was sad to have squandered an opportunity to do something special at the U.S. Open with his fourth-round loss at Flushing Meadows, but happy with his effort and prospects going forward this season. I played the right point. Double US Open victor Nadal drew within 4-3 but a forehand victor by Pouille made it 6-3 for triple match point.
Strikingly, Nadal and Pouille sported similar aggregates; 35 to 38 in net points won, 62 to 56 in receiving points won, 52 to 59 in total winners, and five and 156 apiece in break points and total points won. I took my own physical trainer.
Against Tsonga he mustered only five aces and was broken six times by the 2008 Australian Open runner-up, who has reached at least the semi-finals of every Grand Slam except this one.
He dropped on his back, his tongue sticking out.
That error made it 7-6 in the tiebreaker, Pouille’s fourth match point, and he would not let this one slip away.
It was the third consecutive five-set match contested by the Frenchman, and it sends him into a quarter-final showdown against compatriot Gael Monfils, who in had it much easier, beating Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets.
Tsonga, a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2 victor over the last USA man in the field, No. 26 Jack Sock, now plays No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Advertisement
In the women’s draw, Angelique Kerber won the battle of grand slam champions when the second seed powered her way into the quarter-finals with a 6-3 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova. While No.2 seed Angelique Kerber proved to be too strong for Petra Kvitova, seeded 14, with the German winning 6-3, 7-5, two unseeded players – Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasija Sevastova – continued their journey in NY.
