Rafael Nadal suffered a stunning defeat in the Round of 16 at the 2022 US Open, losing to 24-year-old American Frances Tiafoe in four sets. The second seed Spaniard was far from his best as he took on 22nd seed Tiafoe, showing signs of the abdominal injury that saw him pull out of the Wimbledon semifinals earlier this year.
Tiafoe won the first set 6-4 before the 22-time Grand Slam champion rallied to win the second set. The younger man kept his focus and finished off the match by winning the last two sets and ending the match with a 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 victory. The win means that Tiafoe is the first man to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam match in 2022.
Rafael Nadal stated that he would be taking time off to be with his wife as she expects their first child. The Spaniard refused to be drawn on when he will return to action.
Elsewhere, world number one Daniil Medvedev was sent crashing out of the 2022 US Open by Nick Kyrgios after a scintillating performance at Flushing Meadows. Kyrgios won the match 7-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 in four sets to overcome the 2021 champion and end his reign in the US Open. Medvedev will lose his spot as the number one ranked player in men’s tennis, with one of Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, Casper Ruud or Rafael Nadal to take the position when the rankings are updated.
Andrey Rublev qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open after a straight sets win over Cameron Norrie. The Russian ninth seed defeated his British opponent 6-4 6-4 6-4 to progress to the last eight.
In the women’s draw, World number one Iga Swiatek had to come back from a set down to defeat Jule Niemeier in their Round of 16 clash. Swiatek won the match 2-6 6-4 6-0 to progress to the last eight.
Serena Williams’ conqueror Ajla Tomljanovic also qualified for the last eight after a win over Ludmilla Samsonova in straight sets. Tomljanovic won the match 7-6 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.
Ons Jabeur reached the quarterfinals with a straight sets win over Veronika Kudermetova. The Tunisian 5th seed won the match 7-6 6-4 to progress.
Jessica Pegula claimed a straight sets win over Petra Kvitova to reach the last eight at the 2022 US Open. Pegula won the match 6-3 6-2 to progress.
Karolina Pliskova qualified for the quarterfinals after a win over Victoria Azarenka. Pliskova picked up a 7-5 6-7 6-2 win to reach the last eight in New York.
