Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal has progressed to the semifinals of the US Open following a hard-fought victory over Dominic Thiem on Tuesday.
Rafa got the better of his Austrian opponent 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
“It was a great battle, the conditions were tough,” he said. “I tried to stay in the match in some way. In the fourth I just kept going. But I feel so sorry for Dominic. He’s a great guy and a great competitor.”
Rafa said he told his opponent, “keep going, you’re good” over the net after claiming victory.
He will now take on Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals.
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Finished at 7am UK time so I had to get ready for work without going back to bed, but it was worth it! Incredible match, shame either of them had to lose.
Magnifico Performance from the humble King! Vamos Rafa!
Rafa! Hats off to you .I can hardly imagine any player coming strongly back after 6-0 score of 1 St set with total dominance of Opponent. I had the thoughts of Semis without Fedex and Rafa. And was going to stop watching USO 2018.Thanks Rafa. You are not only GOAT but Greatest Fighter till the end of a match and also Greatest Sportsman.. Keep it up .We all Rafans are proud of you .am sure you will overcome Potro and even Djoko if you play like today
🤯how we felt watching such a stunning match-you never cease to mesmerize us-from that scary first set😱to the thrilling final point. You are why we follow tennis.
Thank you for never giving up-such an inspiring fight, and so much respect for your opponent.
Congrats-rest and recover for semis.💪👍👏🥇💕
Enhorabuena!!!! Por ser el.vencedor….partido duro por ambas partes….este te servirà d gran ayuda para tus dos próximos….adelante descansa y recuerda k siempre contigo!!!!!
RAFA WELL DONE JUST REST NOW YES AWESOMEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rafa is truly is out of this world guy i mean to sustain such a immense pressure situation…..he is winning this matches in a manner which he has known for i.e. fight for every point till last point…….rafa recently was losing such matches but he reminded of old classic rafa ……the last point which closed the match i mean even it was not rafa point at all he still managed to win……vamos rafa and congratulations to u and thiem
Best luck for semifinal
Rafa is not just a champion, Rafa is an Olympian in the true sense of the word.
Move over you Greek gods of Ancient Greece and make room for Rafael Nadal.
Bageled in the first set but battled on to win the match shows that Rafa has his mental fortitude intact.
RAFA ROCKS
Awesome. If Rafa was a Greek God, which would be his powers and responsibilities? I’d say God of Courage, Competition, and the Olive Harvest.
Btw, where have Rafa’s Quely biscuits gone from press conferences? Once they were the “most important beesqwuit in Mallorca” and an honorary member of the team XD
I only saw the last set which was nail biting but what a fighter you are Rafa. I admire your mental strength, determination & belief in yourself. You are my very much no. 1 sporting hero.
Well done Rafa!
Rest well!! Try to reduce your errors in the next match!! Most of all you need to rest after this marathon and get ready maybe for another marathon.
Will pray for you! I’m sure all Rafa fans will be doing so and I hope it’s well heard.!
VAMOS! 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀❤️❤️❤️
Yipeee!! So happy for Rafa 🤗 – What a match and what an amazing champion and sportsman Rafa is 😍
VAMOOS CHAMP RAFA!! 🎾💪🏼😅
The best of luck in the semis 🤞🏻😘🍀
Well done Rafans who watched the whole match. You are made of stern stuff.
I only woke up in time for the final set. It was astonishing how high the level of tennis remained by then. Thiem really impressed, in every aspect. And this Nadal bloke’s pretty good too, no?
He sure is! 🎾💪🏼😍😃
Hola Alex. You caught the final set, and I only woke up to catch the tail end of the first set, when Thiem was playing out of his mind and looked ‘zonked out’ as Fan Love put it:):)
I hereby define ‘zonked out’ as the look of a man possessed.
That Rafa bloke is indeed extraordinary. Hopefully his body recovers over the next few days until it’s time for semi finals. We all and Rafa should be chomping at the bit by then!
If I’d come in at the end of the first I would have been a wreck! The fifth was dramatic enough on its own. Still not topping the Nadal-Delpo Wimbledon AD, though. That is still my favourite match of the year.
While Rafa’s body may recover in two days, I’m wary of his continuing UEs on crucial points. He really steadied himself in the 5th against Thiem – and I portantly his serving was strong – so perhaps there’s still time for his confidence to increase before big D.
QF, not AD! My phone does what it likes. Need to set keyboard to “tennis mode” XD
No one has the passion , the drive ,the will to win like Rafa has. Maintaining the same intensity on every point. Even if he is down 6-0,6-0, 5-0 40-0 or ahead by the same scoreline , he will fight the same way. I don’t know what will happen in the semis. Does he have the energy left to win again, I don’t know. But one thing is certain , he will fight no matter what. It’s an absolute honour to be a Rafa fan. Well done champ.All the best in semis
Vamos
And yes, well played thiem. You were awesome. You are definitely better than Alexander zverev.
Word.
At least he gets two days off now.
Honour is correct. Very well said.
Rafa is such a fighter. What a nail biter the match was. I had six cups of coffee and half a pack of cigs during the match. Rafa must start hitting some aces, so he doesn’t have to work so hard. Theim was outstanding.
DelPo will be sending aces to Rafa, so let’s hope Rafa is rested up to play him.
YES INDEED, IT WAS WORTH LEAVING EVERYTHING AND JUST BEING GLUED TO THE MATCH. I HAD FIRE IN MY BELLY. EVERY SHOT THAT RAFA MISFIRED MY SYOMACH HAD BUTTERFLIES.
LOVE YOU RAFA ALWAYS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL, N ENTERTAINING MATCHES YOU GIVE US.
PLEASE DO REST AND HAVE PLENTY OF FLUIDS.
LOVE YOU ALWAYS CHAMPION. 💙💖💖💖💟💟💖💖💖💖💖💖
Thanks my fellow Rafans. We helped each other pass the tough moments. Stay strong , stay together. See you all for the semis. With tons of positive energy for our champ. Vamos💪💪💪
Well done champion Rafael Nadal!
I’m gutted for Thiem, but that’s how it goes. I had already started to imagine how my week would look like if Nadal lost:):) Thankfully, Rafa came through for me.
What a fighter Rafa is. Same to Thiem. What a great match this was.
Have a good day everyone.
Hi Mac!
I was also preparing for a loss, as it was so close. I only saw the final set. (The first set must have been depressing!)
Have a good day!
Wamos Rafa, you are the best
Vamoooos! What a match. So proud of you. Take rest now. All the best for the semi-final. Vamos Rafa <3
Congrats Rafa and congrats rafans. We all live to watch the next battle. Hail the king 💪💪💪💪
Awesome stuff…well worth going in late to the office !