Rafael Nadal at the 2016 US Open.
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Lucas Pouille of France wears Adidas Adizero Ubersonic 2 tennis sneakers. Unfortunately, his body has prevented that from happening on a consistent basis in recent years, which is why he hasn’t captured a major title since the 2014 French Open.
2016 Wimbledon – did not play. “He’s a player who has all the shots”, said Nadal.
He then defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to book his place in the fourth round.
And then, more than 4 hours into the toughest test he’s put his left wrist through since returning from injury, Nadal faltered. But he again sent a shot into the net, and Nadal followed with a victor of his own to pull within 6-5.
As for the men, Dan Evan’s outstanding summer made him the second ranked Brit, and rose the occasion with wins over No27 seed Alexander Zverev and was one point shy of victory over No3 seed Stan Wawrinka.
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. “I think that’s why I’m better than the year before”. But I had the right attitude …
“I need something else”, Nadal said. “I need something more that was not there today”.
My first match on center court, against Rafael Nadal.
His opponent, the quick, powerful, all-court Frenchman Lucas Pouille, is just 22 years old but was here as the No24 seed. He labelled Pouille as top-10 material.
This was Pouille’s third career victory in a five-setter; all have come in his past three matches. It is the first time in the Open era that three Frenchmen are in the quarterfinals of a major, having last happened at the French Open in 1947 and the U.S. Open in 1927.
Nadal has enjoyed greater success away from the grand slams this year but he rejected the suggestion he is struggling to cope with the pressure.
Baghdatis, the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open, sat in his sideline chair after falling behind 4-1 in the second set and fiddled with his phone, holding it near a white towel that was on his lap. He missed this year’s Wimbledon and pulled out of the French Open midway owing to a wrist injury. Djokovic broke back to 3-all, and after a trade of service holds, he took the last two games.
In match pitting two players with fearsome forehands, Tsonga boasted the deadlier precision, although Sock didn’t go quietly, saving a match point in the third-set tiebreaker to force the deciding fourth set.
The Frenchman made it count, ripping a forehand victor down the line on the ensuing point to seal his third five-set win in a row. A win here would match that effort.
“I was very aggressive all the match and at 6-6 (in the tiebreak) I didn’t want to miss”, Pouille said after the match.
Tsonga got there by eliminating the last USA man in the field, No. 26 Jack Sock, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2. “He played well, I didn’t play bad but I didn’t play well enough”, as quoted by ATPWorldtour.
In other battles for the last-eight spots, Andy Murray will take on Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, Dominic Thiem and former champion Juan Martin del Potro will face-off, while Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori are also still in the fray.
“I fought until the end”, Nadal said. That’s it. You can not go insane thinking about these kind of things, no?
Said Nadal: “I fight until the end, until the last ball”.
“I’m trying to not put pressure on myself because I know I have to win few more matches to reach the number one”.
In a close match, Nadal made some uncharacteristic errors, especially off his forehand. On the 16th stroke of this exchange, Pouille delivered a forehand victor to a corner.
Baghdatis eliminated 32nd-seeded Benoit Paire of France 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Nadal was stretched to five sets and eventually bowed out 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6 (6).
Sevastova upset 13th-seeded Johanna Konta 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to become the first Latvian woman to make the final eight at a Grand Slam since Larisa Savchenko in 1994.
Chris Guccione, Australia, and Andre Sa, Brazil, def. Nicolas Almagro, Spain, and Victor Estrella Burgos, Dominican Republic, 7-6 (2), 6-2.
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Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Lucie Safarova (12), Czech Republic, def. Julia Goerges, Germany, and Karolina Pliskova (8), Czech Republic, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
