New York, Sep 4 : The four-time champion Rafael Nadal breezed past former World No. 7 Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of the US Open Grand Slam tournament.
With a win on Saturday, Nadal has won all 18 of his ATP Head-2-Head meetings against Gasquet and 34 consecutive sets against Frenchman.
“I always say that night sessions here in New York are the best in the world without a doubt,” said Nadal. “I increased a little bit the level today. That’s important for me. When the tournament keeps going, I’m able to rise a little bit. I’m happy for that against a very good friend like Richard.”
Nadal sets up an intriguing Round-of-16 clash with America’s Frances Tiafoe, who downed Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.
The Spaniard holds a 2-0 edge over the American, though they haven’t faced each other since 2019.
“I’m defnitely a different player from 2019, playing much better,” said Tiafoe. “Match his intensity from the first point to the last. You can’t really have any dips. He takes advantage of it. How good his forehand is, right?
“Once he gets ahold of his forehand, it’s tough to get him out of that pattern. I’m just going to have to be really aggressive and try to make him play to me, not me play to him.”