By: Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Four hours and fifty minutes.
That’s how long Rafael Nadal took to outlast Russian Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller championship match in the US Open, 7-5,6-3,5-7,4-6,6-4.
Surviving a meltdown, Nadal eventually led two sets ahead of Medvedev but was equalized off a valiant effort from the Russian youngster.
Medvedev matched the intensity and the baseline game of Nadal, but the Spanish legend drew out all the tricks in his bag, finding ways to earn points and disrupt the Russian’s rhythm.
The slugfest between the two finalists astonished the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium as both traded powerful volleys and switched net play possessions at every opportunity.
With the win, Nadal is now one Grand Slam shy of tying Roger Federer’s record of 20.
After conquering the French Open title last June, this is Nadal’s second Grand Slam win of the year, and his fifth US Open title overall.
With the win, Nadal has the chance to take the world number one spot over Novak Djokovic.
