Nadal glad to have time to recover after intense battle
RAFAEL Nadal was delighted, relieved — and sorry — after winning one of the great US Open night-session matches against Dominic Thiem.
24 hours after Roger Federer fell to John Millman, his old rival avoided following him out of the tournament, but only just, completing a 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) victory at 2.03am.
Ninth seed Thiem became the first player since Andy Roddick in 2004 to win a love set against Nadal in New York, but the defending champion once again dug deep to come out on top of a gruelling battle played in more punishing humidity.
Nadal said: “It was very demanding in all aspects. It was a very tough start for me. After that first set, the match became more normal. A tough match against a great opponent.
“It was physically demanding because the conditions were tough out there too. And I played against a great opponent. He played a good match. I’m sorry for him. He’s a top guy.
“I’m sad for him because when this moment arrived, he did all the things well to win the match. Me too, I think. I fought until the end. I’m happy, of course, to be in the semi-finals again. It means a lot to me. It’s good to now have two days that probably give me the chance to be 100 per cent in the semi-finals.”
Remarkably, Thiem was the first top-20 player Nadal has faced at Flushing Meadows since his final win over Novak Djokovic in 2013.
And the 25-year-old, the only man to beat Nadal on clay in the last two seasons, set about showing his opponent he meant serious business in his first Grand Slam quarter-final outside of the French Open.
The Austrian blasted 13 winners, made only two unforced errors and allowed Nadal just seven points in winning an extraordinary opening set.
The World No.1 worked his way back into the match but he was never in control, and Thiem served for the third set.
The fourth was an 81-minute rollercoaster ride, where Nadal came within two points of winning only for Thiem to take the tie-break.
The Spaniard had appeared the more weary of the two, but he roused himself for one final effort and emerged victorious when Thiem sent a final smash long after four hours and 49 minutes.
The Austrian was heartbroken but proud, saying: “It’s going to be stuck in my mind forever. It’s cruel sometimes tennis, because I think this match didn’t really deserve a loser.
“Of course, now I’m devastated a little bit. But in a few days I will look back and will remember how great it was to play this great match in front of a packed Arthur Ashe.”
Nadal moves forward to a clash with Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated John Isner in a rematch of last year’s semi-final.
Del Potro’s victory was no walk in the park either, the Argentinian battling through strength-sapping heat and humidity to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (74) 6-2.
Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori joined Nadal and Del Potro in the semis with a 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 victory over Marin Cilic. Jamie Murray (left) and Bruno Soares suffered a disappointing quarter-final loss to Radu Albot and Malek Jaziri at the US Open.
Fourth seeds Murray and Soares, who were the champions two years ago, have been in great form and this looked an excellent chance to at least make it to the last-four for the first time at a Grand Slam since 2016.
Moldovan Albot and Jaziri of Tunisia only got into the draw as alternates following a withdrawal but played a fine match to win 7-5 6-4.
Murray and Brazilian Soares had five chances to retrieve the break of serve in the second set but were unable to take any of them.
Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka needed just 57 minutes to defeat Lesia Tsurenko at the US Open to race into her first Grand Slam semi-final.
In a meeting between two first-time Slam quarter-finalists it was Osaka who produced much the better display, winning 6-1 6-1. She joins Serena Williams and Anastasija Sevastova in the semis.