US Open: Rafael Nadal thrashes Richard Gasquet, reaches fourth round
Spanish ace Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round at the 2022 US Open after beating former world number seven Richard Gasquet. The former claimed a 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 win, thereby beating Gasquet for the 18th time on the ATP Tour. Nadal remains undefeated against the Frenchman, having won 34 consecutive sets. The Spaniard will next play Frances Tiafoe for a berth in the quarter-final.
Key stats of the match
Nadal won a total of 100 points and served two aces in the match. He created as many as 15 break points, winning seven. The Spaniard had a win percentage of 78 on the first serve and 68 on the second serve. Nadal won 19 games and clinched 44 receiving points. Notably, Gasquet recorded fewer double faults (7) than Nadal (8).
Nadal's 18th win against Gasquet
As stated, Nadal has beaten Gasquet for the 18th time on the ATP Tour. As per ATP, Gasquet has the most defeats against Nadal without a win (18). Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu follows Gasquet with 10 defeats. Interestingly, Nadal and Gasquet first locked horns on the tour in 2004. The Spaniard has now won 34 consecutive sets against Gasquet.
Nadal is 38-4 in 2022
Before the ongoing US Open, Nadal was stunned by Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Masters. It was Nadal's fourth loss of 2022 (he is 38-4 this year). In January, the Spaniard defied all odds to win the Australian Open, claiming a record-breaking 21st major. Nadal then went to claim a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title. He opted out of Wimbledon semi-finals due to injury.
Nadal eyes his fifth US Open title
Nadal has won four US Open titles (2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019), the joint-second-most with John McEnroe in the Open Era. By winning one more, the former will join Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, and Federer (5 each) at the top. Bill Tilden, William Larned, and Richard Sears lead the all-time tally (7 titles). Nadal has a win-loss record of 67-11 in the hard-court Slam.
Nadal set to face Frances Tiafoe
Nadal will next face Frances Tiafoe for a spot in the quarter-finals. The latter overcame Argentina's Diego Schwartzman to reach the fourth round. Nadal has a 2-0 lead over Tiafoe in the ATP head-to-head series. The Spaniard won at the Madrid Masters and the Australian Open, both in 2019. Nadal would hope the reach the US Open quarter-finals for the fourth straight season.
A look at other key results
Among others, Marin Cilic defeated Dan Evans in a four-set thriller. The former can reach his first US Open quarter-final since 2018. Ilya Ivashka stunned 26th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Jannik Sinner beat Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.
