Tennis
Rafael Nadal Out of US Open After Fourth-Round Loss to Frances Tiafoe
by privatebet.com - 2022/09/06
Despite his best efforts to make a comeback at the US Open, Rafael Nadal exited the tournament in the fourth round. The Spanish tennis champion was beaten by Frances Tiafoe, making this his very first loss at a Grand Slam in 2022. Tiafoe ended Nadal’s bid for a record-extending 23rd major singles title in four sets at Flushing Meadows. He scored a 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 win, eliminating the Spaniard from the tournament and setting a face-off with Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals. Nadal returned to the US Open after taking some time to deal with his abdominal injury, but didn’t use it as an excuse for his recent loss and said Tiafoe was simply a better player. “The difference is easy: I played a bad match and he played a good match. At the end that's it. I was not able to hold a high level of tennis for a long time…He was able to take the ball too many times very early, so I was not able to push him back,” said Nadal post-match. The US Open is the first Grand Slam this year to result in a loss for Nadal. He won the titles at the Australian Open and French Open, before withdrawing from Wimbledon due to injuries following his quarterfinal victory.