Lucas Pouille of France (left) shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after their US Open Men’s Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in NY.
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Young Frenchman Lucas Pouille scored a stunning five-set upset over 14-times grand slam singles victor Rafa Nadal, winning a climactic tiebreaker 8-6 to reach the US Open quarter-finals on Sunday.
The red-hot Monfils maintained an impeccable run to the last four with his fifth consecutive straight-sets win in a hard court season in which he won the ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington, reached the semi-finals in Toronto and the quarter-finals at the Rio Olympics.
Tsonga next faces either world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic or Kyle Edmund, a 21-year-old Briton who is in the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time in his first appearance in the US Open draw.
“It took everything. I could not dream better than that”, the world number 25 said after his four-hour victory.
Gael Monfils (pic) returns a shot to Lucas Pouille on day nine of the 2016 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
“The main thing is that when I’m on court I have to believe in myself”.
It was not the first time this fortnight Pouille has pulled all the right strings in pressure-packed moments.
“He’s a better player than me, definitely”. Nadal fought off two match points on his serve and dramatically reached 6-6 when Pouille ended a rally by overcooking a forehand well past the baseline. I see new or good stuff today. “I don’t think you will tell him he tried to entertain”.
Twenty-two year-old Frenchman Lucas Pouille collapses with joy after defeating 14-time major champion Nadal.
“I think because mentally I’m stronger, physically I’m stronger, [that] gave me a lot of confidence before the match”.
‘I’m happy with that and where my game is. Even in tournaments we keep working.
Winning the final point proved easier said than done as nerves began to set in and the third of Pouille’s match points was wasted with a long forehand which came after a first serve had nearly hit the baseline.
Pouille refused to be drawn on the long-term impact of his historic win over the 14-time slam victor.
At the Women’s singles, Fifth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep advanced to the quarter-finals for the second straight year with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.
Sevastova, who retired in 2013 but made a comeback, will take on Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark after she overcame American Madison Keys, seeded eighth, 6-3, 6-4.
His best runs since have been two quarter-final spots at the 2015 Australian and French Opens.
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The fourth-round match had a grand slam pedigree to it with Kerber, the Australian Open champion, going against twice Wimbledon victor Kvitova, but it failed to deliver any major excitement.
