Frenchman Lucas Pouille rallied from a break down in the fifth set to upset Spanish two-time champion Rafael Nadal 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) Sunday in the fourth round of the US Open, a match that clocked in at more than four hours. I couldn’t dream better than this.I learned that it’s never over until the last point.I was a break down in the fifth, I came back and led 6-3 in the tiebreak and he came back. “I came out of the blocks well and started with the right intensity”. I needed to create more pain on the opponent with my shots.
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“But I need something else, I need something more that was not there today”.
Throughout his opening three matches, all straight-set victories, it looked like a deep run might be in the offing.
Pouille, 22, is relatively new to the circuit.
With the match tied at two sets, Nadal had plenty of opportunities to book his place in the quarterfinals, going up a break at 1-0 and 4-2, but every time the fourth seed looked like having the match in the bag, Pouille fought back. He has now failed to make it beyond the fourth round of a major since the 2015 French Open, his last victory in a grand slam final came in 2014 at Roland Garros.
“As you are approaching the second week of a grand slam you want to have match play and you want to have time spent on the center court before you face one of the top players”, said the Serbian.
After being deprived of a Djokovic vs Nadal contest in the semis, given the circumstances, the fans should not be surprised if Djokovic and Murray are not the two players on the court during US Open 2016 men’s singles final match. Anyone’s match to win.
However, Pouille said it was too early to say whether the breakthrough victory would change his career.
In the Bronze medal match, the 30-year-old faced Kei Nishikori who won the match by two sets to one. On the 16th stroke of this exchange, Pouille delivered a forehand victor to a corner.
When it did end, Pouille dropped on his back, his tongue sticking out.
Angelique Kerber will be leading the way in women’s action.
Pouille’s win puts three men from France into the quarterfinals of US Open for the first time in 89 years.
Ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced into the quarters as the third Frenchman defeating Jack Sock 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2.
Tsonga advanced to a clash against either world number one Novak Djokovic, a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victor over unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund.
Pouille will face Monfils, a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victor over 2006 Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis, who received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct for using his cellphone during a second-set changeover.
Then he smacked a forehand into the net to give Pouille one more chance and the French player pounced on it with a blazing forehand that kissed the sideline.
Kerber won a battle of grand slam champion when the second seed powered her way into the quarterfinals with a 6-3 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova.
Wozniacki’s 6-3, 6-4 win over Madison Keys, the number eight seed, might not be that big an upset, but the manner in which Sevastova eased past 13 seed Johanna Konta 6-4, 7-5 was pretty impressive.
By reaching the last eight Kerber has put herself in position to end Serena Williams’ long reign as world No.1. But, Nadal drew close to 4-3 before Pouille surged to 6-3 to set up triple match point.
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If Kerber reaches the final, then Williams must win the title top stay on top of the pile.
