Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer win to move one win away from historic meeting
RAMPANT Rafael Nadal roared into the quarter-finals of the US Open by thrashing Alexandr Dolgopolov.
And the odds on Nadal going on to win the tournament will surely narrow after this 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 winning performance.
He played an opponent who finds one of his matches last month under investigation because of irregular betting patterns.
Not that that worried the dominant Spaniard.
Nadal, content but not overjoyed with his best performance of the tournament, said:
“I think I played a solid match, with not many mistakes.
“Dolgopolov is a player who can play amazing shots, but at the same time is unpredictable.
“He combines amazing points with mistakes.
MOST READ IN TENNIS
🚨 EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Premier League Top Goalscorer 🚨
ROMELU LUKAKU has come in to 2/1 to finish as the Premier League top scorer.
scored twice against West Ham on Sunday to put an immediate market down in the Golden Boot race.
Harry Kane, who has NEVER scored a goal in August, .
And there is value to be had in Alexandre Lacazette.
even after scoring on his debut against Leicester last week.
Sun Bets have a blinding special offer for top scorer.
If you bet £25 on any player to top the table at the end of the season, they'll give a £5 free bet for every game he scores in until October.
The offer is valid until midnight August 27 and is open to ALL customers.
“I tried to focus on my serve and to wait for the opportunities on return.
“I’m happy to be in the quarter-finals and hope to keep playing better.”
Nadal had struggled in the opening set of all three of his previous matches in New York.
But not this time.
Ukranian Dolgopolov made a present of the first break of serve, in the third game, but from then on Nadal bossed the match.
The Spaniard closed out the first set in 31 minutes then bided his time in the second.
At 4-4 30-all, he defended superbly and Dolgopolov netted to bring up a break point, which he converted.
And Nadal then ran away with third, winning in just an hour and 41 minutes.
Waiting in the last eight for Nadal will be Andrey Rublev, the 19-year-old Russian sensation, who beat No 9 seed David Goffin in straight sets.
Federer had to work a little harder against Philipp Kohlschreiber, but not too hard.
The Swiss didn't face a single break point in the match, winning 6-4 6-2 7-5.
The only scare came when Federer left the court after the second set for a medical time-out.
Federer said: "I needed a bit of a rub on my back - or on my bottom.
"And I didn't want to do it on court."
