This is the first time since 2003 that neither Federer nor Nadal is in a US Open quarterfinal, a sign of changing times in men’s tennis.
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Described as someone who plays an attractive brand of tennis, the 22-year-old has all the skills to go along with the determination of a French bulldog, three of his four matches going the distance and the other needing four sets to be decided.
Rafael Nadal, once the fiercest of predators, is now the hunted. Then he pulled out of the French Open before his third-round match because of a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, an injury that forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon altogether and miss about 2½ months on tour in all.
Nadal looked strong in the first three rounds in Flushing Meadows, New York, as he didn’t drop a single set heading into Sunday. The Frenchman ripped a forehand victor down the line on the next point to clinch the victory, and collapsed on his back in celebration before sticking his tongue out joyously in the direction of his coaches’ box.
“I learned that it’s never over until the last point”, said Pouille. “I need to keep improving the level of tennis to come back to the level before my injury”.
He would roll to a straight sets win 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, when the cypriot fires wide on match point. He beat Juan Martin del Potro at Wimbledon, before losing to Tomas Berdych.
Pouille, 22, overcame 53 unforced errors to advance to consecutive major quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
Kvitova hadn’t made it past the third round at the first three majors of the year but was coming off an Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro, where Kerber won the silver. “With more rest, the wrist will not go better”. “I needed to serve better in some moments”. Honestly I am the most happy in this tournament. “I played three hours in the first match and three hours thirty minutes in the second match”.
This was the U.S. Open bidding adieu to the first week in the finest way possible, giving those who made a decision to spend their Labor Day Sunday in Queens watching tennis with a splendid gift – the tournament’s first epic match and first major upset.
Edmund said he hopes to take positives from his only previous meeting with the Serb, a 6-3, 6-3 loss in Miami this year.
“When you are 4-3 in the fifth [set], it’s not a question of experience”, Nadal said.
“The main thing is that when I’m on court I have to believe in myself”.
“I lost an opportunity to have a very good event here”. I’m sad for that. “There were a few points where I would hold the racket with my left and try to stretch out my right hand in between shots – and that’s not going to work”.
Pouille, ranked 25th in the world, reached the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) triumph and will meet compatriot Gael Monfils for a place in the semi-finals.
Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga followed Monfils’ lead and booked his berth in the last eight with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2 victory over American 26th seed Jack Sock. Monfils is quite a character himself: In the middle of one point, he pretended to lean over to tie a shoelace before quickly resuming play.
Bob and Mike Bryan (3), United States, def. David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco, Spain, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Another past U.S. Open finalist, Roberta Vinci, also moved on Sunday.
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She’ll next face two-time U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki, on a resurgent run with two wins over top-10 players here after Sunday’s 6-3, 6-4 victory against eighth-seeded American Madison Keys.
