Nadal, Fed move on at US Open
RAFAEL Nadal and Roger Federer on Saturday edged closer to a US Open semifinal blockbuster as controversial Italian Fabio Fognini was kicked out for a vile, misogynistic tirade at a female umpire.
Nadal, 31, saw off Argentine lucky loser Leonardo Mayer 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, taking his record over the world No59 from Buenos Aires to 4-0.
He will face Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov, against whom he is 6-2, for a place in the quarterfinals.
Five-time champion Federer brushed aside t he 31st-seeded Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 to ta ke his career record against t he Spaniard, play ing a 63rd successive Grand Slam, to 13-0.
Next up for Federer is Philipp Kohlschreiber, who he leads 11-0.
Nadal had dropped the first set of his second-round match against Japan’s Taro Daniel before winning in four.
Saturday was almost a carbon copy with the 15-time major winner unable to convert any of six points in the opener.
But the match turned in the 10minute seventh game of the second set when, on his 14th break point of the encounter, Nadal finally smashed through.
“It was tough. It took 14 break points – that’s not a good figure. But I was there mentally and fought a lot at the right moments,” said Nadal under the Arthur Ashe roof as rain fell outside.
Federer had needed back-to-back five-setters to defeat Frances Tiafoe and Mikhail Youzhny in his first two rounds.
However, on Saturday, he swept past Lopez to reach the fourth round for the 16th time.
“I’m very happy to get through. It’s a great feeling to play out here,” Federer said. “I struggled in the first two rounds but tonight I played a very clean match.”
Kohlschreiber, the German 33rd seed, eliminated Australia’s John Millman 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.
Austrian si xth seed Dominic Thiem defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to make t he last 16 for t he t hird time in four years.
Thiem next faces 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who put out Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev became the second teenager in the last 16 when he beat Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Rublev, just 19, faces Belgian ninth seed David Goffin, who progressed when 2016 semifinalist Gael Monfils retired with a right knee injury.
Meanwhile, Fognini was kicked out of the tournament for making foulmouthed comments to female umpire Louise Engzell during his first-round loss to Stefano Travaglia.
Fognini and compatriot Simone Bolelli had reached the third round of the men’s doubles but tournament organizers axed him from the event.
Fognini, the world No26, was also fined $24,000.
Pliskova saves match point
Women’s top seed Karolina Pliskova saved a match point to defeat China’s Zhang Shuai, hanging on to her world number one spot in the process.
Pliskova, t he runner-up i n 2016, triumphed 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, but she was forced to save a match point in the 10th game of the second set and recover f rom a break down i n the decider.
“I was match point down and I thought I haven’t tried many forehand winners down the line. That’s what I did. I may not have got another chance,” said the 25-year-old, who will next face Jennifer Brady of the United States.
Brady has just seven wins on the tour this year, but all have come at the Grand Slams.
Had she lost on Saturday, Pliskova would also have been guaranteed to lose her world number one ranking to either Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza or Elina Svitolina.
Ukraine fourth seed Svitolina stayed in contention with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Shelby Rogers of the United States.
Russia’s Daria Kasatk ina reached the last 16 of a major tournament for t he first time by seeing off French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, t he 12t h seed, 6-3, 6-2.