Rafael Nadal banked his third US Open and 16th Grand Slam title with a straight-sets win over South Africa’s Kevin Anderson at Flushing Meadows in New York. The Spaniard stormed to a 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory in Sunday’s final that also saw him retain his World No.1 ranking.
Going into the match with a 4-0 advantage against the towering Anderson, Nadal got down to business with his impeccable serve, whipping forehands and relentless defense. No break points were offered to his 32nd-ranked opponent. Anderson, the tallest player at 6 feet 8 inches, to ever feature in a Grand Slam final had only his booming serve and some aggressive hitting to rely on to find any foothold in the match. The tactic just wasn’t good enough as Nadal was able to negate his big serve by standing deep in the court and then constantly throw him off balance with some ferocious shots. It turned out to be a ruthless display of tennis by a man playing his 23rd Grand Slam final, up against an opponent in his very first. While the first two sets saw a similar pattern with breaks coming Nadal’s way midway through the sets, an early break in the third ensured the inevitable title.
Another contributing factor to the win was the absence of three men who won major titles in 2016 — Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka — who withdrew from the US open with injuries. This was also the first time a man had won a Grand Slam singles title without facing a top-20 seed since seeding had changed from 16 to 32 in 2002. Interestingly, Nadal saw his strongest opponent in the semi-final clash – the 28th-ranked threat Juan Martin del Potro. The world number one had powered to a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 result over the Argentine to reach the final.
Rafael Nadal secured his second Grand Slam title of the season and shared the years slam titles with Roger Federer. This year, it was Nadal at the French and US Open, and Federer at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Nadal, who has now won 10 French Open, three US Open, two Wimbledon and one Australian Open title, is back on top of the tennis pyramid. And this formidable ‘warrior’ is slated to close the year as World No. 1 for a fourth time.
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
