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American Frances Tiafoe stunned four-time champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Monday at the US Open to reach his second Grand Slam quarter-final.

The pumped-up 24-year-old played fearlessly throughout the three-hour, 31-minute thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his third Top 5 win. Tiafoe hammered the ball off both wings and rallied from a break down in the fourth set to become the first American man to reach the last eight in New York since John Isner in 2018 and the youngest to accomplish the feat since Andy Roddick in 2006.

"I'm beyond happy, almost in tears, I can't believe it," Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. "I played unbelievable tennis today. I really don't know what happened."

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Tiafoe had never won a set against Nadal and trailed the Spaniard 0-2 in their ATP Head2Head series prior to their meeting in New York. However, the American struck 49 winners to turn the tables in style, gaining revenge for his quarter-final defeat at the Australian Open in 2019.

It was an emotional scene Friday on Court 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. After Bruno Soares missed a forehand volley into the net, he shared a lengthy embrace with partner Jamie Murray. It was not only the end of their US Open, but the last match of Soares’ career.

The 40-year-old Brazilian was part of the year-end No. 1 pair in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Teams Rankings twice, claimed 35 tour-level men’s doubles titles, lifted six Grand Slam trophies — three in men’s doubles and three in mixed doubles — and won 545 tour-level matches in his illustrious career.

Soares, who knew 2022 would be his final season within the first few months of the year, is thrilled with all he accomplished on the court. But the locker-room favourite is even more touched by the outpouring of support he has received from his colleagues and fans.

“It’s kind of overwhelming to see how much I’ve been through, but also for me I think the nicest part is just friends, family, fans, everyone, the messages that I got. I think this is for me the most special part,” Soares told ATPTour.com. “[There have been] so many good things to read and I’ve always said the titles, the career, they are really amazing. In the end of the day, it’s the person that counts, so I feel extremely blessed and honoured to be able to get all this love and amazing support and messages in this special moment of my life.”

One of those messages came from fellow Brazilian Marcelo Melo. The former doubles World No. 1 posted on social media a series of images with Soares. They both are from Belo Horizonte and have grown up to take on the world of professional tennis together.

Andrey Rublev took a leaf out of the Cameron Norrie playbook Monday at the US Open, where the hard-hitting ninth seed produced a rock-solid fourth-round showing to down the Briton 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in New York.

Rublev struck consistently from deep and was clinical with his chances on return as he capitalised on an uncharacteristically wayward performance from the seventh-seeded Norrie to wrap a two-hour, 26-minute victory and reach his fifth Grand Slam quarter-final. The 24-year-old fired 30 winners and made just 17 unforced errors en route to beating a Top 10 opponent at the US Open for the fourth time.

“It was tough, especially when we’ve known each other for a long time,” said Rublev in his on-court interview. “Last time he beat me, so of course I was coming on court thinking I need to give my best, play really well, and I think today I played a good match.

“Cameron maybe was a bit tired, because in some moments he helped me, but this is the US Open, this is a Grand Slam and everyone is nervous, everyone is tight, everyone wants to win. So this is normal. In the end I was able to win in three sets and I’m super happy.”

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Two Italian youngsters, Luca Nardi and Francesco Passaro, are making a push for the eight-player Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals after strong weeks on the ATP Challenger Tour. Nardi claimed his third ATP Challenger Tour title of the season (Forli, Lugano) in Mallorca, Spain, while Passaro reached the final at the Como Challenger.

Nardi, 19, outlasted Belgian Zizou Bergs Sunday in a three-set battle, 7-6(2), 3-6, 7-5 to triumph at the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.

Needing a deciding set in four out of his five matches, the Italian is the fifth player to win at least three Challenger Tour titles this year. Argentine Pedro Cachin and Briton Jack Draper lead the Challenger Tour with four titles this season while Nardi, Constant Lestienne, and Wu Yibing are tied with three titles each. The Pesaro native’s trio of titles leads the group of seven teenagers who have claimed a Challenger title in 2022.

Nardi improves to 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan and looks to continue climbing to claim his spot in Milan, Italy, where the world’s best 21-and-under players compete in the season finale Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The 19-year-old rises to a career-high mark No. 142 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Bergs, seeded fourth, advanced to the final without dropping a set and climbs to a career-high 136 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

The battle for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is down to three players following Daniil Medvedev’s fourth-round loss at the US Open on Sunday evening against Nick Kyrgios. Rafael Nadal is in pole position to leave New York in the top spot, while Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud still have an opportunity to climb to the top of men's tennis' mountain

Alcaraz and Ruud must reach the final to have a chance to leave New York as World No. 1. If Nadal advances to the quarter-finals, he will force Alcaraz or Ruud to win the title.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings Round By Round

Nadal is in the best position in the battle for No. 1, but Alcaraz also controls his own destiny because he is on the same half of the draw as the lefty and could eliminate him in the semi-finals. If Nadal reaches the final at Flushing Meadows, he will leave New York as World No. 1. If Alcaraz and Ruud play in the US Open final, the winner will leave New York as a first-time World No. 1.

If Alcaraz earns the top spot, he will become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. If Ruud climbs to the pinnacle, he will become the first Norwegian to do so.

Nick Kyrgios’ blockbuster clash against Daniil Medvedev featured one of the most bizarre moments of the US Open.

The 27-year-old eventually won the match in four sets. However, he cost himself a break point opportunity at 30-all on Medvedev’s serve at 1-0 in the third set. The top seed floated a volley high in the air, and the ball clearly was not going to make it to Kyrgios’ side of the court. Instead of letting it bounce and winning the point, the 23rd seed ran to the other side of the court and hit the ball out of the air before putting his index finger in the air to celebrate.

The chair umpire correctly awarded the point to Medvedev, who went on to hold the service game.

“I think I had probably the most boneheaded play of all time tonight. I thought it was legal to be honest. I genuinely thought it was legal,” Kyrgios said in an interview with ESPN. “I thought I was playing the concrete streets of my suburb in Canberra. That’s something I would do there and I realised that it wasn’t legal. You can see my face… I was so happy. I was like, ‘That’s the best shot ever’ and it wasn’t legal. But it was fun.”

It seemed that would be a critical moment in the match that could have tilted the action in Medvedev’s favour. Instead, the Australian earned a service break in his next return game and never looked back.

Closing the books on his Grand Slam season with a fourth-round exit to Nick Kyrgios at Flushing Meadows on Sunday night, Daniil Medvedev was left to rue missed opportunities at this year’s majors… and the end of his reign as World No. 1.

Medvedev’s 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat to the Australian showman means that he will relinquish his hold on the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking after the US Open after spending 17 weeks in that position throughout the year. With just one run beyond the fourth round at this year’s Slams (a runner-up finish at the Australian Open), the 26-year-old said that he will be motivated for a stronger showing at the majors in 2023, and to reclaim World No. 1, hopefully before the end of the year.

In his post match press-conference, the defending champion said that he was ‘disappointed’ and knows that he needs to perform better to return to World No. 1 and to become a multiple Grand Slam winner.

“It was not the first thing on my mind walking after the match, saying, ‘Damn, will not be the World No. 1 any more,’” Medvedev said.

“I actually don't know which place I will be. Probably three or four. I guess Carlos (Alcaraz) will pass me. I don't know, actually. But that's motivation, try to do better. Obviously it was the last Slam of the year. Didn't do well enough. Didn't win in Australia when I had the chance. Didn't get the chance to play Wimbledon. Roland Garros, lost fourth round. Here fourth round. Yeah, should do better. Should get more points if I want to be World No. 1 again.”

Rafael Nadal’s bid for his third Grand Slam title of the season collides with American star Frances Tiafoe on Monday at the US Open, where #NextGenATP stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are also chasing quarter-final berths in New York.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Day 8 at Flushing Meadows.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

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1) Rafa Takes On Home Favourite Tiafoe: After an injury-disrupted build up to the US Open, four-time champion Rafael Nadal appears to be finding his feet once again at Flushing Meadows.

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on ATPTour.com/es

To reach the fourth round of the US Open, Rafael Nadal has had to wipe plenty of sweat from his brow, and also some blood. In his second-round clash with Fabio Fognini, the Spaniard lunged for a backhand, which resulted in his racquet bouncing off the court and causing a cut on his nose. Nadal then was forced to take a medical timeout as the physio bandaged his nose. Carlos Moya, the 22-time major champion’s coach, wasn't immediately aware of what happened.

“We couldn’t see very well what had happened, so I quickly went online to watch videos,” Moya explained to ATPTour.com. “If you’ve taken a knock, it’s not as worrying. It’s a different story if something is twisted or sprained. A knock is painful, nothing more.”

Nadal, who will play in the round of 16 against Frances Tiafoe Monday, has had to work extremely hard to make it to the final Grand Slam of the season after suffering a seven-millimetre abdominal tear that forced him to withdraw from the Wimbledon semi-finals in July. Moya said that Rafa’s road to getting back to full-steam was a process.

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Despite a strange gaffe that cost Nick Kyrgios a break point opportunity early in the third set, the Australian recovered well to take a 7-6(11), 3-6, 6-3 lead against World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round of the US Open.

It has been an intense, entertaining encounter inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where both men have played high-level tennis and brought the crowd to its feet with quality shotmaking fitting of the occasion.

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick was among those who provided his thoughts on social media, tweeting, “This is awesome stuff. Super high level. Heavyweight fight.”

This is awesome stuff. Super high level. Heavyweight fight

Early in the third set, Kyrgios made what could have been a critical mistake. Leading 1-0 and at 30/30 on Medvedev's serve, the 23rd seed rushed around the net and swatted away a ball that was not going to land anywhere close to the net. By rule, if a ball does not land on your side of the net and spin back to your opponent's side of the court, you are not allowed to touch the ball on that side.

Karen Khachanov reached the quarter-finals at the US Open for the first time Sunday,outlasting Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to continue his strong run in New York.

In a heavy-hitting clash in front of energised fans on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the 26-year-old appeared the fresher of the two in the deciding set, triumphing in three hours, 20 minutes.

“With Pablo, we always have unbelievably tough matches,” Khachanov said in his on-court interview. “I was preparing physically to be ready for the whole match to play my best. From the first match (Monday), I started to feel better and better, more confident of course.”

After Carreno Busta controlled the first set from the baseline, commiting just six unforcederrors, Khachanov found consistency from his backhand to capture the following two sets. When the Spaniard leveled the match to force a deciding set, Khachanov served well and focussed on playing defense from well beyond the baseline, finishing the match with 32 unforced errors to Carreno Busta’s 43.

Khachanov, who is making his seventh appearance at Flushing Meadows, has now advancedto the last eight at three of the four Grand Slams. The four-time tour-level titlist reached thequarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021.

Cameron Norrie has established himself as one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour. That is no surprise considering he was once asked by a doctor whether he was a deep-sea diver because of how large his lungs are.

Even with that in mind, some of the stories of the Briton’s fitness and competitive spirit are jaw-dropping.

Devin Bowen, the assistant coach at Texas Christian University, where Norrie played college tennis, recalls a training block they were doing in Fort Worth two years ago. After six days of training, Norrie would have a day off to recuperate and prepare for more hard work.

“On his day off, he loves to run. He loves long-distance running as a hobby. There was a 10K in town and he just went and he didn’t text, he just did it. [The point was] you rest and then we start the week,” recalled Bowen, who was largely responsible for Norrie's on-court training at TCU and still assists when Norrie is in town. “He ran the 10K and won it. It was like, ‘Yes, that’s great that you did that, but the whole point of today was to rest your body and we’re going to start up again.’

“Once he entered it, I know he was thinking, ‘I’ll just enter it, I know I can do it. And then he got in there and went, ‘I’m going to win this thing’, and he won it. So he won the Fort Worth 10k, and that was just on a day off. It kind of gives you an idea of what kind of animal you’re dealing with.”

Ilya Ivashka remembers his first martial arts class vividly. His friend, Andrei Kozlovsky, gave him a stern warning.

“He told me, ‘Man, don’t go there because they are going to break all your body’,” Ivashka recalled from when he was a child. “I was so scared. I said, ‘Okay, I’m not going there.’ I went to the first class. I was crying, they took me out and because of him I said I will never do it.”

The next sport Ivashka tried was tennis, because his father always played with a friend. Fast-forward two decades and Ivashka is competing in the US Open, where he is into the fourth round for the first time.

In the stands throughout the tournament has been Kozlovsky, who now is a professional dancer living in New York. It is safe to say his advice to Ivashka worked out. The 28-year-old is living his dream on one of the biggest stages in sports.

Ivashka’s 21-year-old brother, Aleksei, grew up playing many sports. “My brother tried all sports that exist in the world,” Ivashka said. “By 10, he changed [to] 25 different sports. But for me, [it was] not like this.”

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury’s US Open title defence showed no sign of slowing down on Sunday at Flushing Meadows, where the top seeds eased to a 6-1, 7-5 third-round victory against Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini.

The American-British pairing is yet to drop a set this fortnight in New York, where it lifted its second Grand Slam crown a year ago. Ram and Salisbury converted five from eight break points against Italian duo Bolelli and Fognini to wrap a 74-minute triumph and reach the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.

Ram and Salisbury, who are currently third in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they bid for a fourth consecutive appearance as a team at the Nitto ATP Finals, will meet Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski next. The unseeded Monegasque-Polish duo defeated Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-1, 6-4.

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The other two seeded pairings in action on Sunday also enjoyed straight-sets victories. Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer saved two set points in the second-set tie-break before prevailing 6-4, 7-6(9) against Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino. The third seeds have US Open-winning experience in their ranks as they seek their second Grand Slam crown of 2022. Rojer lifted the title in 2017 alongside Horia Tecau.

Like many before him, Matteo Berrettini found there was no easy way past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the US Open on Sunday. Yet the Italian demonstrated his own ability to dig deep as he prevailed 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the pair’s fourth-round clash at the hard-court Grand Slam.

After a slow start that saw him trailing by a set and a break, Berrettini looked to have taken control of the three-hour, 45-minute encounter after finding rhythm behind his serve and huge forehand, but the Spaniard responded to some raucous support from the stands to storm back with a stirring fourth-set showing that forced a decider on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“I’m really proud because I didn’t start the match the way I wanted to,” said Berrettini in his on-court interview. “I was down a set and a break… and I found the right energy. I have to say I was a little bit tired in the fourth, and he was playing unbelievable tennis. So, I lost the fourth, and I was like, ‘OK, now I’m going to give everything’.

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Berrettini, who missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon this season, was finally able to shake off the challenge of the World No. 39 in the fifth set by breaking Davidovich Fokina's serve three times. Davidovich Fokina’s ability to mount a late comeback was hindered after he twisted his knee when serving at 3-2 in the decider, and despite twice receiving treatment from the physio he returned to court to fight to the end in front of an enraptured crowd.

Casper Ruud recovered from a mid-match wobble at the US Open on Sunday, when he moved past French lucky loser Corentin Moutet 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the first time.

The Norwegian was pushed to the limit in his five-set third-round win against Tommy Paul, but looked on course for a comfortable victory against Moutet on Arthur Ashe stadium. However, from 4-2 ahead in the third set, the 23-year-old lost concentration and control on his forehand, with Moutet rallying to clinch the set and a foothold in the match.

Ruud was not to be denied, though. He fended off three break points in the fourth set, while he hit his groundstrokes with more depth and spin to eventually advance after three hours and 22 minutes.

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Ruud, who is making his fourth appearance at the hard-court Grand Slam, will next face 13th-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini. The fifth seed has won three tour-level titles this season, while he reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in June.

Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev will meet for the third time this season on Sunday in a blockbuster fourth-round match at the US Open.

The Australian leads the top seed 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, having won their most recent clash in Montreal last month. Medvedev, who is aiming to retain his title in New York, did overcome Kyrgios at the Australian Open in January, advancing in four sets in their only previous Grand Slam meeting.

Kyrgios and Medvedev headline the night session on Day 7 and will step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium at 7:00 p.m. local time.

What Is The Head-To-Head Rivalry Between Nick Kyrgios & Daniil Medvedev?

2022 Montreal R32, hard, Kyrgios d. Medvedev 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2

2022 Australian Open R64, hard, Medvedev d. Kyrgios 7-6(1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

A blockbuster fourth-round clash between World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios headlines the action on Sunday at the US Open, where Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud are also seeking to reach the quarter-finals at the hard-court major in New York.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Day 7 at Flushing Meadows.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

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1) Medvedev Vs. Kyrgios Part III: New York plays host to the third act of a gripping 2022 rivalry on Sunday as World No. 1 Medvedev and the in-form Kyrgios collide.

Rafael Nadal was bloodied and tested in his second-round match at the US Open against Fabio Fognini. The Spaniard faced no such difficulties on Saturday inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The four-time champion breezed past former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet 6-0, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. Nadal has won all 18 of his ATP Head2Head meetings against Gasquet and 34 consecutive sets against the Frenchman.

On Thursday evening, Nadal not only cut open the bridge of his nose in a freak accident in the final set; he had trailed Fognini by a set and 2-4. During his post-match press conference, the 22-time major winner was clear that he was “practising much, much better than what I am playing”.

The lefty showed that in his victory against the 15-time ATP Tour titlist Gasquet. After escaping a 0/40 deficit on his serve in the first game, Nadal raced through the rest of the match in two hours and 17 minutes.

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Coco Gauff has been glowing in her praise of Serena Williams this week at the US Open, as the 23 time major champion concluded her professional career Friday night.

Gauff, 18, also sung the praises of Australian Nick Kyrgios in her press-conference Friday at Flushing Meadows. The teenage star recalled multiple times at the Miami Open, where despite Kyrgios already being on court for hours, the Australian chose to hit with her.

The first encounter came when she was 13 years old. Kyrgios, who just completed a practice session, stuck around to hit with the rising American star for approximately 30 minutes. The following year, Gauff was even more shocked when Kyrgios concluded a gruelling two-hour practice with Frances Tiafoe and despite thinking he would call it a day at the office, the Aussie continued practising with Gauff for an extra hour.

“I know there's things on the court that he does that people don't agree with. I probably don't agree with some things,” Gauff said. “But it's just things like [hitting with a young kid] that stands out for me. That's why I feel like I can never dislike him because constantly when I see him around, he's always saying hello.

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“It's just moments like that that people don't really see about him. So I think people paint him as a bad guy. I feel around the grounds, at least my experience of him, he's not.”