Rafael Nadal and Nikoloz Basilashvili will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Sunday.
Unless Basilashvili gets triple-bageled, he won’t do any worse than he did in their only previous encounter at the 2017 French Open. Obviously going up against Nadal on a woefully unfavorable surface, the Georgian managed to win all of one game in a 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 defeat.
A hard court should provide a much better opportunity for Basilashvili, who is enjoying success for the second time at a major this season after reaching round three of the Australian Open. The world No. 37 has already done one better in New York, where he booked his spot in the last 16 thanks to victories over Aljaz Bedene, Jack Sock, and Guido Pella.
Nadal’s title defense got off to a strong start with wins at the expense of David Ferrer (via second-set retirement) and Vasek Pospisil (6-3, 6-4, 6-2). The Spaniard suddenly ran into a whole lot of trouble in the form of Karen Khachanov on Friday, but he survived 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) in more than four hours.
“I think I played two good matches to start,” Nadal said of his first week in Flushing Meadows. “Especially the second one. [Against Khachanov], I think I started the match great…. I believe that there is some margin to improve. But I really hope that this kind of match helps. These kind of matches make you feel confident; make you feel stronger. At some point you need to go through some tough moments.
“I think this match helps. [Winning] these kind of matches, going through some very tough situations, lot of moments in the match…helps a lot for the confidence and helps to understand how you have to play for next match.”
The biggest key for Nadal in his next match is the status of his knees, as yet another potential physical issue reared its head against Khachanov. But the world No. 1 said, “my personal feeling is I (am) going to be at my 100 percent for the next one.”
If he is, the end of Basilashvili’s run is here–but it will be a lot more competitive than it was at Roland Garros.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 11-14 games
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