U.S. Open Day 5 after dark: Fognini upsets Nadal; Serena survives

During the night session of Day 5 of the U.S. Open, Serena Williams survived an upset bid, while Milos Raonic and David Ferrer did not.

Author:
Stanley Kay
Publish date:
Sep 4, 2015

NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal was upset by Fabio Fognini in a five-set classic, while Serena Williams survived a strong upset bid from Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Check out the Day 5 day session recap here, and catch up with news and results from Day 5 after 7 p.m. at the U.S. Open below.

Rafael Nadal out after wild match against Fabio Fognini: Everything seemed to be in control for No. 8 Rafael Nadal after he won the first two sets of his match against No. 32 Fabio Fognini 6–3, 6–4. Nadal went up a break in the third set, but Fognini roared back and shocked Nadal, winning the final three sets 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 and ending Nadal’s U.S. Open just before 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning. In the final set, the players combined for seven straight breaks before Fognini held serve at 5–4 to win the match. Nadal’s third-round exit worsens a disappointing season for the Spaniard, who will not win a Grand Slam this year for the first time since 2004. Fognini will play No. 18 Feliciano Lopez in the fourth round.

U.S. Open Day 5 recap: Venus beats Bencic, advances to fourth round

Serena Williams survives: This certainly isn’t the first time Serena Williams has lost a first set before coming back to win a match, but Bethanie Mattek-Sands offered Serena a tough challenge on Friday night at Arthur Ashe. Mattek-Sands played nearly flawless tennis the first set, aggressively challenging Williams. But Williams broke Mattek-Sands at 6-5 to win the second set 7-5, and she cruised in the third to seal a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory. After the match, Williams praised her third-round opponent.

“She’s someone every time I play I respect her a lot, and I know to expect a great game,” Williams said of Mattek-Sands after the match.

GIF of the night:

Madison Keys advances to play Serena: Serena Williams will play another American in the fourth round: Madison Keys. Keys, the tournament’s No. 19 seed, dominated No. 15 Agnieszka Radwanska 6–3, 6–2. Radwanska played largely mistake-free tennis, only recording nine unforced errors, but Keys still dispatched her with relative ease. Perhaps the most significant statistic of the match: Keys converted six of eight break point opportunities, while Radwanska only converted two of 12. Keys has now made it to the fourth round in three of this year’s Grand Slams.

U.S. Open Day 6: Federer, Azarenka, Murray play for spot in second week

No. 10 Milos Raonic upset by No. 18 Feliciano Lopez: After making the fourth round of the U.S. Open each of the last three years, Raonic capped a disappointing summer with a third-round exit at the hands of Feliciano Lopez. Lopez’s formidable serve—he recorded 16 aces and just two double faults—helped him to a 6–2, 7–6(4), 6–3 win over Raonic. Lopez, who topped Mardy Fish on Wednesday to reach the third round, will play the winner of Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini.

David Ferrer falls to Jeremy Chardy: No. 27 Jeremy Chardy upset No. 7 David Ferrer on Friday at Armstrong, pulling out a 7–6(6), 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 victory. Chardy hit 55 unforced errors, 20 more than Ferrer, but he also struck 28 winners, compared to just 11 from Ferrer. The loss means this year will be the first since 2011 that Ferrer didn’t make at least two Grand Slam quarterfinals. Ferrer’s defeat, coupled with earlier upsets to No. 4 Kei Nishikori, leaves No. 9 Marin Cilic as his quarter’s top remaining seed. Don’t look now, but Cilic—who has disappointed this year after his shocking 2014 U.S. Open title—has a fairly smooth path to the semifinals. Cilic will play Chardy in the fourth round.

SNAPSHOTS FROM DAY 5