ICYMI: Down goes Rafael Nadal, here comes Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki Bodypainting Swimsuit 2016 | Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

NEW YORK -- It was the match of the tournament, hands down. Lucas Pouille, the fearless Frenchman, beat No. 4 Rafael Nadal in a hair-raising 4-hour, 7-minute battle.

It has twists and turns aplenty, but in the end, Pouille showed why he is touted as one of the top up-and-coming talents. In case you missed it, here"s how that match, along with other top storylines from Day 7, unfolded:

Seemingly down and out, Nadal made one final push.

The fifth set was an ultra-intense, back-and-forth battle.

The final set reached 6-6 -- a situation Nadal had not seen in more than a decade.

In the end, an untimely mistake by Nadal deep in the tiebreaker cost him the match.

Amazingly, the loss ended one of Rafa"s great streaks.

But worry not, the 14-time Grand Slam champion isn"t going anywhere, so he says.

The truth is, though, that Nadal"s loss opened up a lot of questions about his future. He has openly admitted to a crisis of confidence, and he"s not getting any younger. At this point, we have to wonder whether Nadal is becoming a sentimental favorite rather than a player with realistic title hopes.Nadal: Another opportunity lost

Pouille wasn"t the only Frenchman who walked away from the US Open pumped up Sunday.

Tsonga put an end to any hope an American man would win a Grand Slam by beating Jack Sock, the last remaining Yank. That makes it 12 years and 362 days since an American man captured a Slam. But in this case, it wasn"t about what Sock didn"t do; rather what Jo-w***y did do. Serving notice like never before

And not to be outdone, ANOTHER Frenchman moved on. Gael Monfils beat down Marcos Baghdatis. Monfils has yet to drop a set in the tournament. And, naturally, he put on a show for the fans as well.

Finally, in one of the feel-good stories of the tournament, Caroline Wozniacki beat Madison Keys with little resistance. How was she feeling afterward?

Woz, who was twice the year-end No. 1, said she had become more or less irrelevant when it came to vetting the top stars" chances of winning Grand Slams. But while we might have lost self-belief in the Dane, she sure did not. As she said afterward, "To be honest, at this point, I"m very much like I don"t care what my ranking is. Because if I"m not in the top five, I feel like it"s not where I want to be. So at that point, whether I"m 20 in the world or 100 in the world, it doesn"t matter. I"m going to play the same people anyway." Read more

Source: http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/17467395/us-open-icymi-goes-rafael-nadal-here-comes-caroline-wozniacki

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Caroline Wozniacki knocks out Madison Keys to reach quarters

Caroline Wozniacki Uncovered | Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2015

This is a different Caroline Wozniacki than the one who was first embraced by the New York crowds almost a decade ago. Shes been through highs and lows, victories and injuries. And now that she has returned to the spotlight, she is seeing it all from a different perspective.

I think my motivator is clearly winning tournaments. Its winning big matches. Its being out there on Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing in front of a big crowd, Wozniacki said after her dominant 6-3, 6-4 win over American Madison Keys on Sunday afternoon at Ashe, sending the two-time U.S. Open runner-up to the quarterfinals to take on recently un-retired Latvian, Anastasija Sevastova.

I just think I get to kind of reflect and enjoy these moments more, because Im like, You know what? You never know, Wozniacki said. Could be injured tomorrow and I may not be able to play out here again. I mean, I know thats very negative thinking, but at this point Im just gonna have fun with it.

Wozniacki, 26, was speaking from experience. The 5-foot-10 blonde Dane has dealt with an ankle injury that kept her out of the French Open this year. Then she had to retire mid-match in June in Washington, D.C., with an arm injury. In that span, she had fallen to No. 74 in the rankings coming into this tournament, seemingly a long way off from 2010 and 2011, both years having finished atop the rankings.But those rankings are just numbers to Wozniacki, not something that is going to affect her confidence.

I know it sounds bad, but honestly, at this point Im like, I really dont care what my ranking is, Wozniacki said. The main thing is that when Im on court I have to believe in myself. Thats what I care about, that I know that I can do it.

Madison Keys returns a shot during her round of 16 match against Caroline Wozniacki on Sunday.Photo: Anthony J. Causi

I know I can beat anyone. I think it just sucks for some of the other players who have to play me early.

That is surely true for Keys, who was the last American still alive in either singles draw who is not Serena or Venus Williams. But the 21-year-old from Illinois who came in as the No. 8 seed was overwhelmed by the big stage the exact opposite of Wozniacki.

I think it was nerves a little bit, Keys said. I definitely felt like I got off to a bad start, and then I felt like I was trying to catch up from there.

Keys has a big serve, but Wozniacki was able to show a renewed mobility, and her defense was outstanding for the whole of the match.

Shes an amazing mover, Keys said. She gets a million b***s back.

There are familiar foes still in front of Wozniacki, most notably Serena Williams, who ousted Wozniacki in the 2014 final and the 2011 semifinal. Williams has been rolling through this tournament as she tries to break Steffi Grafs career record of 22 Grand Slams. Yet Williams and Wozniacki wouldnt meet until the final.

Before then, Wozniacki is trying to focus on the moments, and enjoy them all.

Before it was all about, Okay, I have to win this; I have to do that. Now Im like, I dont have to do anything, Wozniacki said. You know, whatever is meant to be its going to be, and Im just going to give myself the best shot out there. Im going to work hard and give my best shot every time out on court.

And I think Im enjoying the whole atmosphere and everything else so much more.

Source: http://nypost.com/2016/09/04/caroline-wozniacki-knocks-out-madison-keys-to-reach-quarters/

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