Nadal in box seat

Rafael Nadal swept into the last 16 at the US Open on Sunday, but Andy Murray’s campaign came to a shuddering halt. Top seed Nadal swept past Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 as Spanish players dominated the top half of the draw, filling five out of eight places through into the fourth round.

The number one seed will play Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals. Lopez won through when opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine abandoned when losing 6-3, 4-0.

In earlier play, Spanish eighth seed Verdasco blasted past Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while compatriot and 10th seed Ferrer ousted compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2.

Those two will meet in the other semi-final in the first quarter of the draw, ensuring at least one Spanish player in the semi-finals.

Tommy Robredo joined them, but in the second quarter of the draw, moving through when French opponent Michael Llodra retired injured when trailing 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 2-1.

Murray had been touted as the main threat to five-times former champion Roger Federer and Nadal following his back-to-back wins over them at the Toronto Masters last month.

But after pocketing the first set in a tie-breaker against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, the fourth seed’s game unravelled through a mixture of injury, frustration and his opponent’s fine play.

NEW YORK, AFP