FLUSHING MEADOWS – After the first few days of competition failed to produce any exciting battles, day five at the US Open finally treated the New York crowd to two spectacular round of 32 matches: Rafael Nadal vs. Karen Khachanov and Kevin Anderson vs. Denis Shapovalov.
Both generational clashes were won by the two thirty-somethings as experience proved to be a key factor. Khachanov played a great match and seriously tested Nadal for 4 hours and 23 minutes, but the Russian rising star paid the price for his inexperience when he failed to serve out the second set after capturing the first. Had he gone up two sets, it would have been extremely difficult for Rafa to stage a comeback on a hard court. Khachanov also double faulted three times in the third set tie-breaker giving Nadal the opportunity to lead 2 sets to 1. In the fourth set tie-breaker, it was Rafa that elevated his game instead.
Nadal’s next opponent will be Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, who surprisingly emerged from a section of the draw that originally belonged to No. 16-seed Kyle Edmund and No. 18-seed Jack Sock. The Brit – who has been going through a few difficult weeks – was upset by Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in the first round, while the American lost to Basilashvili in the second. The Georgian then defeated Guido Pella in four sets to advance to a round of 16 clash against Nadal. The Spaniard is obviously the overwhelming favourite to reach at least the quarter-finals.
I would like to thank Nadal for wishing me a Happy Birthday. After a gruelling battle on the court and tons of long interviews off the court, quite frankly I don’t know how Rafa remembered this silly anniversary. His manager Benito Perez Barbadillo, who always follows our website and Instagram, probably mentioned it to him.
Since reaching the US Open final last year, Kevin Anderson has become an incredibly solid top ten player. He doesn’t give any gifts away to his opponents nor he only wins points with his serve and forehand. He also prevails in many long rallies and is as determined as Nadal. Nevertheless, the South African needed five sets to defeat the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov in an outstanding match that enthralled the crowd in the new Louis Armstrong stadium.
The highly anticipated sister-act between Venus and Serena Williams was the biggest disappointment of the day. The match was absolute snore as Serena easily disposed of her older sister in two quick sets. Many Italian fans would have loved to see Camila Giorgi against Serena. Giorgi – who came close to upset Venus in the previous round – would have certainly given the 23-time Grand Slam champion a run for her money. Camila, where were you?
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )
