New York, Sep 5 (IANS) French tennis player Lucas Pouille defeated 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal over five sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6), to reach the US Open quarter-finals here.
"It took everything. I could not dream better than that," Pouille, the 22-year-old, said of his victory on Sunday.
The match lasted four hours and seven minutes and it was decided by a fifth set tie-breaker. In the final-set tiebreak, Pouille held a 6-3 lead, with three match points on his racket before Nadal battled back to level it at 6-all, reports Xinhua.
"I was very aggressive all the match and at 6-6 (in the tiebreak) I didn't want to miss," Pouille said after the match.
Nadal then dumped his forehand into the net before Pouille struck a decisive forehand winner down the line on the next point to seal the victory.
"Last time I played him it was 6-1, 6-2," said Pouille. "When I was younger, I used to watch all his matches on (Arthur Ashe Stadium) and now it's me, so I wanted to take full pleasure and enjoy it."
--IANS
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