Lucas Pouille upsets Rafael Nadal to reach US Open quarterfinals
A new tennis star might have been born after Lucas Pouille upset Rafael Nadal at the 2016 US Open.
Rafael Nadal is well known for his success in majors. The two-time winner of the US Open (2010 and 2013) entered the 2016 US Open as one of the favorites to win the tournament. However, Frenchman Lucas Pouille did not get that memo. The world’s 25th ranked tennis player upset Nadal to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open. It matches his 2016 Wimbeldon finish for the furthest he has gone in a tournament.
Pouille defeated Nadal in an epic five set battle 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6). Beating Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion, is no easy feat. The 22-year old Pouille will join fellow countrymen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils in the quarterfinals. This is the first time since 1927 that three French players will be in the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Nadal lost because of some uncharacteristic unforced errors. But give credit to Pouille for staying aggressive and for taking advantage of Nadal’s rare mistakes. To have any chance of beating Nadal, you have to take advantage of his errors because he is not going to make many. Pouille did exactly that.
My first match on the center court against Rafa,” Pouille said, via ESPN, “Yeah, I could not dream better than this.”
The two adversaries shared a huge hug after their four hour battle. Nadal and Pouille gained a lot of respect for each other during the match. Pouille will face his countryman Monfils in the quarterfinals. Monfils will enter the match as the 10th seed. Pouille will look to build off his impressive win over Nadal while Monfils will look to show why he is the 12th ranked player in the world. But after Pouille’s impressive win over Nadal, Monfils can’t afford to take the young Pouille lightly.
More from FanSided
This article originally appeared on 
