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There are days when Rafael Nadal is like a tidal wave on the tennis court, drowning his opponents with relentless pressure on both the offensive and the defense. And then, there are days when the Spaniard has to dig deeper and raise his level even higher, relying on his stone grain to cross. The Monday night game in the fourth round at Arthur Ashe Stadium was an example.
But the good thing for the triple champion of the US Open is his victory. Nadal fought the 2014 champion, Marin Cilic, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals New York for the ninth time.
"[It’s] so special to see this incredible crowd support [me]. As I said before the tournament began, I have always had good contact with the crowd here in New York. They are very energetic, very passionate, "said Nadal. Matches like this, you go back to the hotel with a lot of energy because I really enjoyed playing in front of the crowd. Arthur Ashe Stadium here in New York, night sitting, it's hard to be better. "
The 40 major quarterfinals finished the match with style. In the final match, at 30/30, Nadal threw a ball well in front of the double on the right side, sliding the ball around the net post and just inside the field for a winner, letting out a massive roar. while the whole crowd was jumping feet, including golf superstar Tiger Woods, Nadal's friend.
"It's easy to describe, but difficult to do, I do not know, I think I followed the ball well because it had a good end and I saw it, I ran quickly to the ball and I saw at the last moment there may be a little space on that side, "said Nadal on the field after the match. "I think it was the only way to win this point, I hit it hard, but to reach that point you need a little luck."
Nadal, with Novak Djokovic's retirement Sunday night in his fourth-round match, will strengthen his lead in the ATP Race To London with every victory won at the USTA National Tennis Center Billie Jean King, while he continues its fifth year end No. 1 worldwide.
The 33-year-old played at least quarter-finals in nine consecutive Grand Slams and three consecutive trips to the US Open. Nadal will then face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, against whom he won his seven FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.
"Diego plays an incredible role," said Nadal. "I have to do my best in the next round to get a chance to qualify for the semi-finals, but today's match will help me."
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Nadal was not as dominant as he did to get to the fourth round without losing a set, though. And much of the credit goes to Cilic for playing a great second set.
"For a few moments in the second set, I felt that there were too many points in his hands," said Nadal. "He was pushing me back and playing more aggressively than I. I was very much coming back and he had the good determination to go to court."
After the leftist got out of the gate with a 3-1 lead in the first set, Cilic earned the break. Nadal was broken in the next match, with a decisive advantage, but the No. 22 seed showed that he was not going to let the Nadal train roll on him.
Cilic broke the score to 3-1 in the second set with a good defense on the right side, placing the 83-lap level titlist in an uncomfortable position to force an error. From there, five years after winning his title here in New York, Cilic gave flashbacks to the crowd by sending backhands and backhands to try to break Nadal's walls.
But these walls were high enough. Nadal has won 12 of the last 15 games to triumph after two hours and 49 minutes. In his 61st win at the US Open, Nadal crushed 38 winners in just 26 unforced errors.
"After the second set, I had to make a change or I would be in his hands," said Nadal. "I started returning the second service inside the court and that gave me a different perspective in points."
Nadal maintained his usual position of returning from the first serve at the back of the field and he played Cilic, ball after ball, after the breakage returned to the game. Although the Croatian connected to 33 winners – and he in no way played a bad match – Cilic failed to maintain sufficient consistency in his aggression.
Did you know?
Nadal started his match against Cilic as the only remaining player not to be broken, only facing three breaking points to reach the fourth round. But even though he was beaten twice by Cilic, Nadal still won 95% of his service matches in this tournament.
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