NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Nadal won his 18th consecutive Grand Slam match by beating fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
The top-seeded Nadal saved all four break points he faced against No. 23 Lopez and hasn’t been broken once this year at Flushing Meadows.
The match began after 11 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday night and finished at 1:16 a.m. Wednesday.
Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon this year to raise his total to eight major championships. He needs a U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.
Now Nadal will play No. 8 Fernando Verdasco in the first all-Spanish quarterfinal in U.S. Open history.
