Rafa set for fireworks against Dominic after shock win
RAFA NADAL admits he’ll need to be at his best to keep his US Open title defence on track in a quarter-final clash with Dominic Thiem.
The Spaniard came through his second tough clash after taking almost three-and-a-half hours to see off gutsy Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in four sets 6-3 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-4.
Ninth seed Thiem won on Louis Armstrong Stadium against last year’s beaten finalist Kevin Anderson as he bids to reach his second successive Grand Slam final to set up a repeat of this year’s French Open showdown.
After coming through his first real test when he came from a FROM GAVIN BERRY in NewYork set and a break down to beat Russian young gun Karen Khachanov in the last round, the 32-year-old world number one had to dig deep again.
Nadal knows another tough match awaits and said: “It’s going to be a tough match and I need to play my best. I hope to be able to make that happen and it’s another chance to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“He’s a great opponent and has a big serve. He’s playing great and to win against Kevin is a result of him doing a lot of things very well. But this was a big victory for me after a very long match two days previously.
“This was a tricky one and there is the physical issue but I was ready, fought well and I feel good.
“He was fantastic so credit to him. I improved my level at the end of the third, despite losing the set and in the fourth I was playing a little bit more aggressive and I did what I had to do.”
After a composed 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-2) win over South African Anderson, Thiem is now ready for his Nadal challenge.
He said: “We’ve played 10 times but always on clay so this is going to be the first time on hard court which is a completely new experience.
“Of the 10 times we’ve played I’ve had three nice experiences and seven horrible ones. On clay it’s one of the biggest challenges in sport to beat him so I hope it’s more comfortable on hard court.”
Anderson said: “I felt he played a great match. He made life difficult for me. I didn’t feel like I played poorly today.
“I did quite a few things well but hats off to him. I thought he really stepped up. He was the better player today. It’s disappointing. I wanted to put myself in contention of winning my first major. It wasn’t meant to be. It was Dom’s day.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Murray progressed to the quarter-finals in the the mixed doubles after partnering American Bethanie Mattek-Sands to a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) win over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Abigail Spears.
Britian’s only hope at Flushing Meadows is also still in the men’s doubles with Brazilian Bruno Soares. They face Dutch duo Matwe Middelkoop and Robin Haase today.