Filed under: U.S. Open, ATPFor the first time in his career, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is heading to the U.S. Open final.
"Well, it's another step I think in my career," eight-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal said. "So for sure is a very important victory for me. Yeah, be in the final of the last Grand Slam of the year is something new, because I always arrived here with problems."
The top-seeded Spaniard routed No. 12-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to advance into the final.
In a one-sided match, Nadal won in straight sets and only dropped serve once. The 24-year-old Spaniard has not dropped a set all tournament at Flushing Meadows and has lost only two service games the entire tournament -- once in his quarterfinal match and one time today.
Nadal, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, has already won the tour's other three majors throughout his career. He seeks to complete a career Grand Slam during Sunday's final.
Nadal defeated Youzhny in routine fashion on Saturday. He served spectacularly, winning 78 percent of his first-serve points and a gaudy 70 percent of his second-serve points -- a statistic Nadal has dominated over his career. Nadal generated two more winners than Youzhny, but it was his solid defense that allowed him to precisely roll in straight sets.
Nadal only committed 19 unforced errors in the match, while Youzhny had 33. Nadal was dominant, winning 94 total points to Youzhny's 64. The Spaniard's serving and groundstrokes were full of his acclaimed rotation.
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Nadal was certainly the fitter player on the court Saturday as well.
His short, commanding win should pay dividends and work in his favor for the championship match. He did not have to put much strain on his body and will be rested with a lot of stamina left.
Nadal realized the importance of winning the match in three sets.
"Sure, always is important if it's three," Nadal noted. "If you have a match like I had in the semifinals of Australia a few years ago in 2009, I lost; I gonna lose for sure, no? But having three sets match and two hours, or a little bit more, of the match always is great, no? I gonna be in perfect conditions tomorrow, so that's very positive. We will see what happen."
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