1) Lucas Pouille conquers Rafael Nadal
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The 22-year-old Frenchman, Lucas Pouille, had already proven that he was a giant-killing act in his stunning run to the quarterfinals in Wimbledon which accounted for the likes of Juan Martin Del Potro and Bernard Tomic. He repeated it at Flushing Meadows after ending Rafael Nadal’s promising campaign in the fourth round in an epic 5-setter. No mean feat, considering the fact that Nadal had shown resurgent form so far and during his semifinal run in the Rio Olympics.
Nadal was beaten 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in a gruelling match that lasted 4 hours and 7 minutes. Disappointingly for Nadal, it brought to an end a run which showed glimpses of his best tennis. He had lost only 20 games in the first 3 rounds. But alas, it was not to be as Nadal’s 2016 ended without even a Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
Meanwhile, Lucas Pouille enjoys the limelight.
