US Open: Rafael Nadal downs Dominic Thiem in five-set epic

Defending US Open champion Rafael Nadal had to put in all he had and battle it out against Dominic Thiem to outplay the Austrian 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) in a five-set thriller at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.  The Spaniard lost the first set 0-6 but dug in deep to stage a comeback against the ninth seed to take a lead, which was cancelled out by Thiem thereafter. The World number one Nadal finally tasted victory after a highly-thrilling four hour-and 49 minute clash.

After the win, Nadal consoled Thiem as the duo were applauded by the crowd for putting up a great show.

Said Nadal, as quoted by the BBC, “I said to Dominic: ‘I’m very sorry and keep going.’ He has plenty of time to win. He will have his chances in the future without a doubt.”

The 17-time Grand Slam champion chose the word, ‘battle’ to describe the epic encounter as he said, “Suffering is the right word. It was a great battle.”

Nadal would next face Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi-finals on Friday. Del Potro, who won the US Open title in 2009, defeated John Isner to make it to the semi-finals.

“It is good to have two days that probably give me the chance to be 100% in the semi-finals,” added  Nadal.

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