World number one Rafael Nadal dispatched Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2 6-4 6-1 with a powerful display to reach the US Open quarter-finals in just one hour 41 minutes on Monday.
The 28-year-old Ukrainian looked helpless against the Spaniard's dominant serve, which was boosted by courts made faster due to sunny conditions at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I think I played a solid match. I played without making many mistakes," Nadal told the crowd in an on-court interview.
Next up for the top seed is a first meeting with 19-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev who beat Belgian ninth seed David Goffin.
Rublev on playing his idol Nadal in #usopen QFs: "He's the real champion. I'm just going to enjoy it. It’s the QFs & I have nothing to lose" pic.twitter.com/3nwsZ0m3Go
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2017
Nadal dominated all facets of Monday's match, never dropping a service game and committing only 11 unforced errors while racking up 23 winners and breaking Dolgopolov six times.
The onslaught was too much for the unseeded Dolgopolov, who was never comfortable enough to unleash his unconventional game that features unexpected drop shots and bold net approaches.
Russian teenager Andrey Rublev tamed ninth seed David Goffin 7-5 7-6(5) 6-3 on Monday to become the youngest man to reach the last eight since Andy Roddick in 2001.
Although Rublev betrayed his young age with a couple of outbursts, it was nonetheless a mature performance from the 19-year-old as he set up an intriguing final eight showdown with world number one Rafa Nadal.
While 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov was becoming the darling of this year's U.S. Open, playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium to adoring crowds, it is the hardworking Rublev who is the last teenager standing.
Facing Goffin for the first time, Rublev broke open a tight opening set, breaking the Belgian at 6-5.
A stung Goffin, who has been hampered by a knee injury, immediately broke the Russian twice to open the second on the way to a 3-0 lead, leaving Rublev screaming at himself.
That seemed to provide the teenager with a wakeup call as he stormed through the next four games to force tiebreak, won with a blistering cross court forehand that Goffin could only stare at as it hit the corner.
Rublev then moved in for the kill, breaking Goffin to start the third and again to close it as he clinched a spot in the final eight.
