World No. 1 Rafael Nadal bagged his 3rd US Open title after cruising past No. 2 Kevin Anderson, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in Sunday’s final. The 31-year-old Nadal needed two hours and 28 minutes to win the tournament that he dominated in 2010 and 2013, and the $3.7 million top purse.
The win also gave Nadal his 16th Grand Slam title and his second of the year, following his French Open triumph. Nadal improved to 16-7 in the finals of a major tournament and reached the final of the US Open without facing a top-10 seed.
The win padded Nadal’s lead in the ATP Race To London to 1,860 points and solidified Nadal’s grip on the No.
1 ranking against closest pursuer Roger Federer, who lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament but remains the leader in terms of major titles with 19. “Its been a very special two weeks for me,” said Nadal, who hit 30 winners to just 11 unforced errors. Nadal also won 16 of 16 net points in total and did not face a break point against Anderson.
Nadal lauds Anderson
Nadal also lauded Anderson for being a good example to the kids and the rest of the tour for his resiliency despite circumstances. Anderson suffered several injuries in 2016 that dropped him to No. 80 this year. He missed the Australian Open due to a hip injury, but bounced back, making it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
Anderson’s past accomplishments boosted his ranking to No. 32 in the world. By reaching the final, Anderson’s ranking is projected to rise to No. 15.
Anderson fought through odds
Despite the odds, Anderson emerged from the bottom part of the draw. Opportunities opened for him after No. 2 Andy Murray withdrew due to a hip injury.
Then, No. 4 Alexander Zverev and No. 5 Marin Cilic fell by the wayside. Anderson capitalized on the opportunity by beating Sam Querrey in the quarterfinal and No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta in the semifinal.
However, he had no chance against Nadal, who held a 4-0 record against him entering the US Open final. “To make my first final of a Grand Slam has really been special.
I can take a lot of positive from this summer. A lot of emotions to deal with. I was up against a pretty good opponent today,” said the 31-year-old Anderson, the first South African to make it to the US Open final since Cliff Drysdale in 1965 and the oldest first-time finalist since Nikola Pilic at Roland Garros in 1973. He was aiming to become the first South African since Johan Kriek in 1981 to win a major title.
