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Frances Tiafoe loves the biggest stages and challenges in tennis. The American might get just that on Monday at the US Open.

The 22nd seed saved five set points in the first set before defeating 14th seed Diego Schwartman 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, where he will play Rafael Nadal if the second seed moves past Richard Gasquet.

Tiafoe is the first American man to reach the fourth round at the US Open in three consecutive years since Mardy Fish accomplished the feat from 2010-12. He will try to advance to his second Grand Slam quarter-final. 

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It was a clean match for Tiafoe, who hit 45 winners to just 34 unforced errors and converted eight of the 18 break points he won. The home favourite levelled his ATP Head2Head with Schwartzman after three hours and two minutes.

When Karen Khachanov was a kid, he did more than train to become a professional tennis player. The Moscow-native swam, played basketball and participated in athletics.

But from ages 10-11, he also attended chess class. Instead of blasting forehands and crushing backhands, Khachanov learned to outmanoeuvre opponents on a 64-square board, where no physical power or foot speed could help him.

“[In chess] you need to think all the time. You have 100 different combinations and variations with each move. It always depends which figure your opponent will move. There always has to be some tactics and for sure it’s a mental game as well,” Khachanov said. “You need to stay sometimes three, four hours in a competition if we’re talking about professional chess to sweat it out and try to think about one move [for] maybe 30 minutes.

“You break your head and that’s the really interesting part of the chess game.”

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With the pressure on, Andrey Rublev stepped up and delivered Saturday, clawing past Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 2-6, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(10-7) in a US Open thriller.

In a mammoth clash on Grandstand, the ninth seed battled through an epic 10-minute game on serve to clinch the fourth set. He then recovered from squandering three match points on serve at 5-4 in the decider, eventually advancing after four hours and 10 minutes to reach the fourth round in New York for the fourth time.

The 24-year-old fired 38 winners and collapsed to the ground in delight after sealing his standout win on his fifth match point. With the crowd on their feet, Rublev then rose himself as he shared a warm embrace with Shapovalov at the net.

Rublev also survived in five sets in his first-round match against Laslo Djere and now holds a 2-1 record in deciding-set matches at the hard-court major.

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Carlos Alcaraz’s power proved too much for home hope Jenson Brooksby’s guile on Saturday at the US Open, where the Spaniard prevailed 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the pair’s third-round clash at the hard-court Grand Slam in New York.

After Alcaraz comfortably claimed the opening two sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium, he nullified a Brooksby surge in the early stages of the third to preserve his perfect record this fortnight. The Spaniard reeled off six games in a row to recover a double-break deficit from 0-3 and complete a two-hour, 11-minute victory during which he struck 46 winners to Brooksby’s 10.

“I played really, really well,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “High level, high intensity, I knew that it was going to be a tough match. Brooksby is a really tough opponent, but I’m really happy with my performance today and I’m going to keep going.”

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Alcaraz arrived in New York chasing his maiden major crown but also with the knowledge that reaching the championship match in New York could be enough to make him the youngest No. 1 in history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on September 12. Despite having so much to play for, the Spaniard has shown little sign of nerves during the first week at Flushing Meadows, where he has not dropped a set against Sebastian Baez, Federico Coria or Brooksby.

Cameron Norrie maintained his perfect record at this year's US Open on Saturday, overcoming #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the fourth round in New York for the first time.

The seventh-seeded Briton defeated Benoit Paire and Joao Sousa in straight sets in his opening two matches and looked in control again against Rune. Norrie fired 22 winners, struck his groundstrokes consistently and soaked up the 19-year-old’s heavy-hitting to advance after two hours and 13 minutes.

“Holger is not easy. He can go through patches where he is playing pretty passively and then he hits aggressively, so you have to be ready for anything,” Norrie said. "He has great hands and defends really well at times. I think I stayed a lot calmer than he did throughout the big moments in the match.

“My goal today was to get to two hours and then start the match from then. When it hit two hours I broke to go 2-1 in the third and I pointed to Facu and said, ‘Now the match starts’…I feel great.”

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Top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev has set a blockbuster fourth-round US Open showdown with red-hot Australian Nick Kyrgios after defeating China’s Wu Yibing in the early hours of Saturday morning at Flushing Meadows.

Beginning the match close to 11pm after Serena William’s pulsating three-hour final match against Ajla Tomljanovic inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Medvedev dismissed Wu 6-4 6-2 6-2 to reach the second week for the fourth consecutive year.

Asked what it was like to watch Williams' farewell performance while waiting to take the court, Medvedev said, “It was a crazy match, close to three hours. It was definitely a pity she lost, but if that’s the last match of her career it was an amazing match and she was close to winning. But Ajla played a great level and congrats to her.”

After Medvedev won a 35-shot rally – the longest of the tournament - to avoid dropping serve in the final game of the second set, the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion raced to the finish line, closing out the match in one hour, 55 minutes.

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Perhaps only Nick Kyrgios can be showman and business-like at the same time.

The electrifying Aussie charged into the fourth round of the US Open Friday night with plenty of flair and exaggerated celebrations, but with far fewer of his bad-boy antics during a largely focussed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over American J. J. Wolf.

The Wimbledon finalist could next meet World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in a blockbuster match Sunday as he attempts to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

The 23rd seed fended off all seven break points he faced, including three at 0/40 in his opening service game of the third set, needing one hour, 54 minutes to sail to victory in front of raucous fans on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“It was a very tough match for me,” Kyrgios said. “I knew J.J. is a home crowd favourite, I knew I had to be on my guns today and serve well. I’m just really happy to move forward.

“I’m really excited to play Medvedev if he wins,” Kyrgios said in his on-court interview while the World No. 1 was in the first set of his match with Wu Yibing.

Former US Open champion and World No. 1 Andy Murray remains determined to keep working his way back to the top of the men’s game, inspired by some positive signs in a gruelling four-set loss to Matteo Berrettini at Flushing Meadows Friday.

“I want to push and see how far I can go,” Murray said after the 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 loss.

“I think I'm improving this year. You know, my ranking, I don't even know what I was at the beginning of the year, but I'm now around 40-ish in the world and still going hard.

“That will be motivational for me and interesting to see, because lots of people told me I wouldn't be able to play again, and lots of people told me I'd be able to hit tennis balls but not compete professionally again. That was nonsense, and I want to see how close I can get back to the top of the game. That's what the motivation is.”

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Rafael Nadal has dominated many opponents during his illustrious career, but no player moreso than Richard Gasquet.

“Let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!"

Vitas Gerulaitis said that after snapping a 16-match losing streak against Jimmy Connors at the 1979 year-end Masters at Madison Square Garden. Gasquet will hope to say, “Nobody beats Richard Gasquet 18 times in a row” on Saturday when he faces Nadal in the third round of the US Open.

Based on history, the Frenchman will have a lot to overcome against the 22-time major winner. Nadal has not just won their 17 ATP Head2Head clashes — he has done so convincingly.

The Spaniard has not lost a set against Gasquet since 2008 in Canada, and has claimed 31 consecutive sets in their rivalry. Only two of those sets have gone to a tie-break, and 20 of the 31 have been decided by a margin of 6-3 or greater.

Third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer strengthened their claim for a spot at the eight-team Nitto ATP Finals Friday, needing just 64 minutes to cruise to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the second round of the US Open.

Dutchman Rojer and El Salvador’s Arevalo have captured three titles this season, including triumphing at Roland Garros to capture their first Grand Slam as a pair. During an 11-match winning streak earlier this season, the pair also collected the title at the ATP 250 events in Dallas, Texas and Delray Beach, Florida.

The duo is second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and will face Frenchmen Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino in the third round.

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Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury backed up their comfortable first-round victory with another dominant performance Friday, defeating Aslan Karatsev and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-3. 

Top seeds Ram and Salisbury have collected two titles this season: Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati. Should they claim back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows, the duo would claim its third major title (Australian Open ‘20, US Open ‘21). They will meet Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the third round.

Carlos Alcaraz’s popcorn clash against Jenson Brooksby headlines the third-round action on Day Six at the US Open, where Spaniard Rafael Nadal and a host of #NextGenATP stars are also in action.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Saturday in New York.

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1) Alcaraz & Brooksby Showdown: Alcaraz was outside the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he enjoyed his breakthrough run to the quarter-finals at the US Open last year. Fast forward 12 months and the third-seeded Spaniard is the World No. 4 with title ambitions in New York.

On Saturday, the 19-year-old will face his biggest test yet when he takes on 21-year-old Jenson Brooksby in the third round on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American has cruised past Serbian Dusan Lajovic and Cincinnati champion Borna Coric in straight sets and will look to use his momentum to upset Alcaraz and claim his second Top 5 win.

The tennis world is remembering longtime ATP chair umpire and tournament supervisor Paulo Pereira, who passed away earlier this month.

After 32 years with the ATP, including 2,540 professional matches officiated and more than 360 tournaments supervised, the Brazilian stepped down from his position as supervisor in 2013 but remained involved in the sport.

"I do not want to stop working with sports, mainly tennis, but I'm looking for new challenges, because to stop would be to leave behind a piece of myself with each passing year," Pereira said at the time. "I want to stay active, looking for opportunities to help others with everything I have learned in all my years on the Tour."

Internationally known and highly regarded for his work on behalf of the sport of tennis, he was a popular figure in his travels and considered the strong relationships he developed the most meaningful aspect of his tenure.

"Throughout my time with ATP, I’ve made many friends, among them my colleagues, tournament directors, players and coaches, and this means more to me than any other accomplishments that I have attained from the sport," he added.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud held his nerve in a five-set battle against home favourite Tommy Paul Friday, punching his ticket into the fourth round of the US Open after claiming a 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-0 victory.

Ruud, 10-2 in his past 12 matches, is the first Norwegian man to reach the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows and is one of four players (Medvedev, Nadal, Alcaraz) who can claim the World No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking on 12 September.

“We both were playing well,” Ruud said. “Whenever someone broke, the other guy seemed to break back right away, so it was tough to get the lead and keep going with it. We were always close on the scoreline. It seemed like the only time I could break him was when I was broken first, so that’s not a good sign, but in the fifth set I played some of my best tennis this year and the best tennis I’ve played this tournament.”

Needing four hours, 23 minutes to outlast the American, Ruud emerged as the fresher of the two, as Paul was playing his third consecutive five-set match (d. Zapata Miralles, Korda).

“It’s not everyday you surpass playing four hours on court, but that’s what we train for, we work hard for it,” Ruud said. “I will try to be fresh for Sunday.”

A pumped-up Matteo Berrettini made a statement of intent Friday at the US Open, where he held his nerve to battle past former World No. 1 and 2012 champion Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3.

The Italian produced a dominant serving display to lay the foundations for his three-hour, 46-minute victory. He struck his aggressive forehand through the court to force Murray back and recovered from a mid-match dip, rallying from a break down in the fourth set to reach the fourth round in New York for a fourth consecutive year.

“You learn from the past and learn from mistakes. I wasn’t aggressive enough with the break points [in the third set] but that is tennis. I think Andy played a really good set in order to not get broken, but I was feeling better,” Berrettini said when reflecting on the match in his on-court interview. “I had more chances and I thought the same thing in the fourth set. I had my chance and I took it.”

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Berrettini now leads Murray 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the Scot in the Stuttgart final in June. The 13th seed, who reached the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows in 2019, holds a 15-4 record at the hard-court Grand Slam. The 26-year-old will look to taste more success when he next faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the Spaniard defeated Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

The ATP Challenger Tour takes over the world-class facilities at Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain for one week to host the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.

The tournament site is on an island of tennis paradise. The academy is home to 26 tennis courts (hard and clay), multiple pools, an on-site hotel, a full service restaurant, squash courts, padel courts, a state-of-the-art gym, physio rooms, and the Rafa Nadal Museum.

The tournament’s facilities stand out to Challenger Tour players, including Belgian Zizou Bergs, who is seeded fourth at this week’s tournament.

"It's my second time here, at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Honestly, I would pay money to be here,” Bergs said. “I see tourists coming in and I'm thinking how special it is to stay here and compete. They are here to see the museum in the day and come to watch you play tennis in the evening. Seeing all the facilities they have, it's a privilege to be here. I think a lot of players think this way too.”

Since the event began in 2018, Joan Suasi has been the tournament director. Though the work is hard, Suasi knows how vital hosting a Challenger at the Academy is.

Tommy Paul is one of the most laid back players on the ATP Tour. The American describes himself as “super chill”.

But before his first-round match at the US Open, something was different about the 25-year-old. Entering the tournament with an 0-4 main draw record at his home Grand Slam, he was nervous.

“Leading into the tournament I just felt so overwhelmed. I feel like I was late for everything, I couldn’t get the timing right with transportation, getting from the city to the site. I was just always stressed,” Paul said. “My team really felt it and they sat me down and were like, ‘Dude, you need to chill out.’ Usually that’s not me. I’m super laid back and super chill with everything. [The] US Open’s always gotten the best of me.”

Paul’s coach, Brad Stine, recalled that last year before Paul’s first-round match, he did a better job of hiding his stress from his team. This year, Paul and Stine were able to recognise the jitters.

“He was very aware last year that he was 0-4 going into the match against [Roberto] Carballes Baena and last year he played absolutely horrible in that match, probably the worst match he played the entire year,” Stine said. “He was nervous again going in here. He and I both did a much better job recognising he was nervous again this year.

Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray will meet in a blockbuster clash on Day Five at the US Open, where the top half of the draw will take to court in third-round action.

Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev will look to continue his title defence when he faces history-maker Wu Yibing, while #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper aims to build on his standout win against sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime when he plays Karen Khachanov.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Friday in New York.

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1) Berrettini & Murray Clash: Berrettini and Murray have tasted success at the hard-court major over the years. The Italian reached the semi-finals in 2019, while Murray lifted his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the event in 2012.

Rafael Nadal on Thursday became the first player to qualify for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November in Turin. The Spaniard has now earned his spot at the season finale 17 times, the second-most qualifications in event history. The lefty guaranteed his place at the Pala Alpitour after he defeated Fabio Fognini in the second round of the US Open.

Nadal, the leader in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, is in pole position to finish year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the sixth time (2008, ’10, ’13, ‘17, '19), which would tie him for the second-most year-end No. 1 finishes in history (since 1973) with Pete Sampras. The 36-year-old will try to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy for the first time when he makes his debut in Turin.

The Spaniard has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2022, winning the season’s first two Grand Slam championships at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year for the first time. Nadal has also triumphed at an ATP 250 in Melbourne and an ATP 500 at Acapulco en route to a 37-4 record on the season.

Nadal has not yet lost at a major in 2022, reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he was forced to withdraw due to an abdominal injury. The Spaniard also reached the final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost to Taylor Fritz in the championship match.

The Manacor-native earned a record 16 consecutive qualifications for the Nitto ATP Finals from 2005-20. Nadal has claimed 20 wins at the year-end championships, good for eighth-most in the tournament’s history.

Rafael Nadal was left bloodied but unbeaten after a freak accident late in his four-set win over Fabio Fognini at the US Open Thursday night.

Seeking a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title, Nadal was cruising towards a comfortable win when he stretched for a wide backhand. His racquet rebounded off the court and onto the bridge of his nose, immediately drawing blood and prompting the Spaniard to walk back to his chair and lay down.

"A little bit dizzy, a little bit painful," Nadal said of how the incident impacted him.

After having a physio apply tape to his nose, Nadal returned to the court a few minutes later to close out the 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 victory inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

It was a dramatic moment in a dramatic match between the longtime rivals. Fognini led by a set and moved ahead by a break on three occasions in the second set before Nadal found his game to surge ahead. The Spaniard will play former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet on Saturday.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares cruised through their opening match at the US Open Thursday, defeating Americans Hunter Reese and Max Schnur 6-3, 6-3. Needing just one hour, 13 minutes to seal the victory, Murray and Soares won 24/32 points off their first delivery to advance.

The 10th seeds have fond memories at Flushing Meadows. In 2016, the duo claimed its second Grand Slam title when they triumphed in New York. The pair will next meet Poland’s Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in the second round. Murray paired with Australian Matthew Ebden in Winston-Salem this past week to defeat the Polish duo in the championship match.

Sixth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also produced a strong first-round performance, ousting home favourites Brandon Holt and Govind Nanda 6-3, 6-4. The four-time titlists in 2022 face American teenagers Ethan Quinn and Nicholas Godsick in the second round.

Two seeded duos were upset in Thursday afternoon’s action. Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori upset ninth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6(2), 6-2, while Wimbledon champions Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden ousted 14th seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 6-1.

Both pairs will meet American duos in the second round. Sonego and Vavassori will meet Christopher Eubanks and Ben Shelton, while the Australian duo Purcell and Ebden face Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson.