For the first time in 12 years, Rafael Nadal will not contest a Grand Slam quarter-final during a calendar year after he lost to France’s Lucas Pouille in their US Open last-16 tussle.
Two-time champion Nadal twice came from a set down at Flushing Meadows and looked to have mastered his 22-year-old opponent when he went a break up in the fifth set but Pouille recovered before eventually getting over the line in a tie-break to win 6-1 2-6 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8-6).
It ranks as the biggest win of his career but for Nadal it merely a rubber-stamped a season of frustration, blighted by injury.
Since winning the French Open in 2014, Nadal’s best runs have been two quarter-final spots at the 2015 Australian and French Opens.
Injury forced the Spaniard to miss Wimbledon this summer. Despite his problems, he has vowed to keep fighting and while he concedes something was ‘not there’ in his battle with Pouille, the 30-year-old believes he still has plenty to offer at the top level.
“I am close to being 100-per-cent again and I believe I can have a couple more good years,” he told reporters.
“I fought to the end today but I needed something that was not there.
I will keep working to try and find it.” Pouille, seeded 24th, moves on to face compatriot Gael Monfils in the last eight in New York and he was elated after his four-hour battle with Nadal. “It took everything.
I could not dream better than that,” he said. Pouille is 5.25 to defeat Monfils in their quarter-final while he is 67.00 to win the US Open outright.
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