Reuters
New York, Sept 3: Fourth seed Rafa Nadal showed he is healthy and ready to challenge for a third US Open title as he rolled into the last 16 at Flushing Meadows here Friday with a fist-pumping 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.
However, for top seed Novak Djokovic it seemed that he will have to stay without a full match since his first round win. The World No.1 was given another rapid advance when Russian Mikhail Youzhny retired due to a leg injury when trailing 4-2 in the first set.
Erasing any lingering concerns over an injured left wrist that kept him out of Wimbledon, Nadal has made a powerful start to the year’s final Grand Slam, racing into the fourth round without dropping a set.
It was vintage Nadal on a warm New York evening, as the energetic Spaniard wore down his 47th-ranked opponent with a breathless work rate and a bombardment of stinging forehands.
“I am improving with that shot,” Nadal told reporters. “Everybody knows that is a very important shot for me. When I am able to play that shot well, then the court opens a lot.”
Nadal who lost his second match at Cincinnati prior to the event here has certainly appeared re-energised since arriving at Flushing Meadows.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner conceded that he still felt some discomfort in his wrist but it has not affected his performance on the hard courts.
“Still (feel) something but something that is not limiting my game now,” stated Nadal. “That’s the most important thing.”
The Spaniard will next meet, 24th-seeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille, a 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 winner over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.
Meanwhile Youzhny was trailing against Djokovic 1-4 when he was treated during the changeover at Arthur Ashe Stadium and had his left thigh taped. He won the next game on serve but could not continue, giving Djokovic a pass into the round of 16.
The Serb came into the match off a three-day break due to a walkover into the third round when Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic withdrew. “It’s difficult to pick the words now. I don’t think I ever had this kind of situation in my career, where I had a second round walkover and the third round 30 minutes only,” Djokovic said on court before settling in for some practice.
Defending champion Djokovic will next face 21-year-old Briton Kyle Edmund, who upset 20th-seeded American John Isner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7-5) with a berth in the quarterfinals at stake.
But then the biggest upset came when American Jack Sock stunned 2014 champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 with a power-packed third round display.
Sock, who battled back from a two-set deficit to beat the Croat in a Davis Cup duel in July, was impeccable on serve as he did not face a single breakpoint while converting four of six break opportunities against the seventh-seeded Cilic.
