Rafael Nadal is on the hunt for his 23rd Grand Slam title and 5th at Flushing Meadows. He will take on an upbeat Frances Tiafoe in the round of 16 on Monday.
The 36-year-old has been in scintillating form this year. He has had his troubles with injuries but when he has stepped onto the pitch, he has looked invincible. The World No. 3 began the year with a bang, as he won the title in Melbourne. He followed it up with his second title win at the Australian Open. Nadal also won the Mexican Open title and a record-extending 14th French Open title.
At the US Open, Nadal didn’t look close to his best in the first couple of matches against Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini. He lost the first sets in both matches before dominating the following sets. The Spaniard looked close to his best in the third round against Richard Gasquet. Nadal won the match 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.
The American has looked quite promising in the tournament thus far. He made it to the final at the Estoril Open and the semifinal at Atlanta Open this year.
The 24-year-old has won all three matches he has played at the US Open in straight sets. He began his campaign at the US Open with a win against Marcos Giron. Tiafoe followed it up with a win against Jason Kubler in the second round. In the third round, Tiafoe ousted the experienced World No. 16 Diego Schwartzman.
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head 2-0 against Frances Tiafoe.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in three sets.
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