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Rafael Nadal vs Andrey Rublev: US Open live scores

6th September, 2017
Start time: 3:30am (AEST)
Court: Arthur Ashe Stadium
TV: Live, ESPN
Online: Live, Foxtel app or WatchESPN
Betting: Nadal $1.08, Rublev $8
Overall record: Never played

Rafael Nadal last 10 matches: won 7, lost 3
Andrey Rublev last 10 matches: won 7, lost 3
Rafael Nadal has still got plenty of life left in him and will have a great 2017. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Expert
6th September, 2017
0

There’s only one match in the way of a dream semi-final at the US Open, but it’s a dangerous one for No.1 seed Rafael Nadal when he faces youngster Andrey Rublev. Join The Roar for live scores from around 3:30am (AEST).

For the 19-year-old Rublev, this is shaping as his breakthrough tournament. The Russian has had some solid results in 2017, showing his potential before cracking the top 100 following Wimbledon.

It means the US Open is the first grand slam where he hasn’t had to qualify, and he has made the most of it working his way through to the fourth round. His form has been strong, and he has done it without a great deal of bother as well, only dropping a single set so far.

The way he plays could unsettle Nadal, who has carried patchy form throughout the early exchanges of the final grand slam of 2017.

Rublev went past the big-serving Alijaz Bedene in the first round, before overcoming the prodigiously talented, yet unable to break through Grigor Dimitrov. That straight-set victory made the tennis world sit up and take notice, with Rublev then going past Damir Dzumhur in four sets.

He was back to his dominant ways in the fourth round though, sending another seed, David Goffin, out in straight sets.

It’s been a surprising tournament for Goffin, and it’s set to see him surge through the world rankings. A strong finish to the season could well see him end up with a seeding at the 2018 Australian Open.

This would normally be a danger match for the world No.1 Nadal, but it’s even more so when you consider his scratchy form line heading into the quarter-finals.

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While he hasn’t been close to losing a match yet, he was incredibly slow off the mark in the second and third round against qualifiers Taro Daniel and Leonardo Mayer, dropping the first set in each of those matches.

That followed a scratchy opening set where Dusan Lajovic took him to a tiebreaker. Clearly, his opponent for this match has been straight out of the blocks, and for Nadal to reverse the momentum against a player with nothing to lose like Rublev will be a much harder ask.

In saying that, he was stronger in the fourth round when he put up a 6-2 6-4, 6-1 demolition of veteran Alexandr Dolgopolov. His serve was better, his demeanour on court more settled and he will need to draw on that in the quarter-finals.

This will be the first meeting between the pair and the winner will take on either Juan Martin Del Potro or Roger Federer in the semi-finals.

Prediction
Nadal should have the goods, but don’t be surprised if he is pushed by Rublev, who will be able to hang around in the first three sets before fading with the match turning physical.

Nadal in four sets.

Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this match from around 3:30am (AEST) or at the completion of Karolina Pliskova versus Coco Vandeweghe and don’t forget to add a comment below.

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