Lucas Pouille of France celebrates defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain.
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The 14-time Grand Slam champion had appeared to have seen off the challenge of the 22-year-old when he went a break up in the last set but could not capitalise as his frustrating year continued.
In the US Open’s best match so far, Rafael Nadal was beaten by 24th-seeded Lucas Pouille of France 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in a four-hour match ending on Sunday evening in NY.
“When I was a kid, of course I was dreaming to winning slams and being one day number one”, admitted Kerber. Nadal was not at his best, but he could have still put the match to bed if he hadn’t made those ghastly forehand errors at 2-2 and 6-6 in the tiebreaker.
Going through the transcripts of Rafael Nadal’s final press conference of the 2016 US Open on the tournament’s website, it was impossible to miss the efforts of the apologetics to lift his sombre mood. But, you know, he’s like every players. Even if he’s one of the best, he feel the pressure.
“I needed a little bit of massage”, he said of treatment similar to that which he received during his opening-round match against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland.
Two days ago I had talked about the sharp contrasts in the sport of tennis, and how unusual it is to see the players behave so differently on and off the court.
“The way I’m going on court is not the same as previous year”, he said. “But I needed something else. I need to improve in other things, but I am going to do it”. In terms of overall points, the match could not have been closer: both men finished with 156 points.
Pouille took Nadal to four separate match points before finally securing the match in a fifth set tie-break, with set scores of 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6). This was Pouille’s third career victory in a five-setter; all have come in his past three matches.
Ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also advanced, downing Jack Sock, the last American man left in the draw, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2.
But victory over Nadal is nothing short of sensational, and it sets up a tough-but-winnable meeting with compatriot Gaël Monfils in the quarter-finals.
Williams, bidding for a record seventh U.S. Open title, will now need to reach the final to have a chance of retaining top spot.
Earlier this year, he lost in the first round of the Australian Open and withdrew in the second round of the French Open at Roland Garros due to a wrist injury.
Kvitova, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist, offered more resistance in the second before surrendering with a double fault on match point to gift Kerber a place in the quarter-finals.
Kerber’s next opponent will be 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci of Italy, who beat Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine 7-6, 6-2.
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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.
