The Fall of Two Greats

09/06/2022

By: Matthew Cahill

Rafael Nadal Suffers Upset Loss to Frances Tiafoe

Just a day after the #1 seed Daniil Medvedev fell, the #2 seed and 22-time Grand Slam record holder, Rafael Nadal, also fell. Nadal entered the matchup on a tear, hoisting a 22-0 Grand Slam match record in 2022 (he withdrew in the semifinals of Wimbledon due to injury). His streak was stopped by the young American, Frances Tiafoe in four sets 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. As the lone remaining American in the US Open, Tiafoe becomes the youngest American to reach the US Open quarterfinal since 2004 (Andy Roddick). In his postgame interview, Nadal mentioned that he did not play well, but he also alluded to the fact that he is no longer young as a potential reason for his play. Is this possibly the beginning sign of seeing the ranks shift from the big three (Nadal, Djokovic, Federer), to the upcoming younger players, such as Tiafoe?

 

Serena Plays her Last Match

The whole world was waiting for more Serena magic to continue in her farewell tournament, let alone her attempt to tie Margaret Court’s all-time record of winning 24 Grand Slam singles titles. That dream died as Serena fell against Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday night 5-7, 7-6(4), 1-6. The match was filled with tons of drama as both sides each made runs and went back and forth taking the crowd on a rollercoaster of emotions (see Saquon Barkley’s take on the match). Even though the final set score seemed lopsided, no one can deny the battle that Serena put up. The final game itself covered an exchange of eight deuces and lasted 14 minutes, giving fans one last show from the GOAT herself.

 

Additional Storylines

USOpen.org: Nadal: ‘You need to be quick, young. I’m not in that moment anymore’

Guardian: ‘I want to go all the way’: Nick Kyrgios Dethrones Daniil Medvedev to Reach US Open Last Eight

 

Photo: Robert Prange / Getty Images