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Djokovic, Kerber Advance. Pouille Stuns Nadal at US Open

Sep 5th 2016

The second week of the US Open began on Sunday. The day featured a match that will be one to remember and a couple high seeds moved through to the quarterfinals, as well.

Pouille Defeats Nadal in an Instant Classic

If there was an appropriate time to use the old cliché you “hate to see either guy lose”, it would have been during the battle between Rafael Nadal and Lucas Pouille on Day .7

It was a match between two fighters who refused to relinquish a single point as they competed at the highest level. The match, with ebbs and flows from the outset, brought the New York fans to a frenzy as one tremendous shot was bested by another.

The Frenchman made it known early that the four-seed would have his hands full as he consistently directed the play in his favor behind strong strokes from both wings. He ran through the Spaniard in the first set as the veteran could not slow the momentum.

Lucas Pouille

However, in the second set, Nadal underscored his reputation for pouring every drop into every shot, turning the table on Pouille and appeared to have gained control.

But in the third set, after an early break, Pouille would not relent his advantage despite attempts by his opponent as he fought off any opportunities for a Nadal service break. In the fourth set and early in the fifth, Nadal appeared to have turned it into his favor again as the 22-year old could not handle the Nadal assault as he broke serve three consecutive times gaining control of the momentum.

But in the all-important decisive set, Pouille rose again, fighting to get back on serve. As the set advanced, the two engaged in shot-making that brought the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to their feet.

Appropriately, the match would be decided in a fifth-set tiebreak. After Nadal won the first point of the tiebreak, Pouille won the next 4 points and eventually worked to a 6-3 edge. But as expected, Nadal would not go away as he saved three match points. But after a nervous service point by Pouille, Nadal netted a key forehand in prime court position giving the Frenchman one more match point. This time, a precision ground stroke left Nadal in a position only to watch the winner drop in. And after four hours, Pouille advanced to the quarterfinals.

Rafael Nadal

“This is my first match on the center court against Rafa, so I couldn’t dream better than this,” Pouille said during his post-match interview.

Meanwhile, Nadal put his missed tiebreak opportunity into perspective, “I played the right point. I put myself in a position to have the winner, and I had the mistake. That’s it,” Nadal said. “You cannot go crazy thinking about these kind of things, no?”

Pouille will advance to face fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals.

Kerber Eliminates Kvitova           

Angelique Kerber looked to continue the pursuit of her second major title of the year and take over the top spot in the world rankings on Sunday night in Ashe Stadium. She accomplished this by defeating Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5.

It was a contrast in styles as the powerful Kvitova met the superb defender who makes a habit of forcing opponents to earn every point.

Angelique Kerber

Early, neither player could find a solid rhythm and each struggled to protect their serve. The Czech sought to end points quickly while Kerber looked to extend points. And it was the German who took advantage of a high number of unforced errors to take the opening set.

Kvitova picked up her game in the second set, using her big, flat groundstrokes to her advantage, but she could not overcome her high number of errors. The two-time major champion misfired with 43 unforced errors on the night.

With the win, Kerber advances to the quarterfinals where she will face 7th seeded Roberta Vinci.

Djokovic Breezes to Quarters

For the first time in nearly a week, top-seed Novak Djokovic played a full match as he defeated Kyle Edmund 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.  Djokovic had previously benefited from a walkover and an early retirement in his second and third round matches.

On Sunday, he did not need to exert much energy for much of the match as he controlled the momentum for most of the night. The 21-year old Brit had no answers for Djokovic who looked sharp and fresh as he exhibited great movement around the court in the first two sets.

Novak Djokovic

However, there was some cause for concern in the third set as Djokovic received treatment from the trainer on his elbow. Subsequently, Edmund gained his first break of serve and the tide appeared to turn. But Djokovic regained his edge again and closed out the match.

The world no. 1 will face ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.