Rafael Nadal overcomes Fabio Fognini in four sets in US Open second round
Rafael Nadal won three close sets in a fourth-round display to beat Fabio Fognini in three sets on Wednesday
By Alex Richards
5:14PM BST 17 Aug 2013
Nadal will now face a man who he has lost to only once in his career – Roger Federer.
Federer made it into the last 16 at Flushing Meadows by beating Novak Djokovic in the last two sets in the quarter-finals last month
The three-time French Open victor has said he cannot see Nadal making it past the quarter-finals in New York.
“If I had to think of Roger as someone close to me and something very special, then I would think that this is the tournament for him.
“The fact he’s in the same position as Nadal right now, that’s where I would think he wants to be playing,” he added.
“I can’t see him making it past a quarter-final. I think he’s capable of reaching the semifinals, but the only way I can see it going is to have a really special run.”
Federer, 31, is playing in the first-ever US Open men’s final, and has not made it past the fourth round since 2009.
Federer has won the tournament four times and been in the fourth round on six other occasions.
With four titles, Federer is the third-most successful tennis player in women’s singles history, trailing Martina Navratilova (14 titles) and Chris Evert (15 titles).
As for Nadal, he had won the last three Grand Slams and had been in the second round at four of the last 14 tournaments in 2012.
Nadal, who had to watch on a monitor screen on the side of the court as he played his first match since the earthquake in Chile took place back in January, went down 0-40 in the opening set but came back to win seven games in 40 minutes.
He was broken in the first game of the second set before Nadal managed to break him for a 5-3 lead, before the Spaniard could hold serve.
Nadal, who reached the
