Rafael Nadal says his third-round win over Richard Gasquet was his best of this year's US Open as he works his way back after the abdominal tear that ended his Wimbledon campaign.

Prior to the US Open, Nadal had only played once since withdrawing from the Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios in early July, losing to Borna Coric in Cincinnati.

The second seed got past Rinky Hijikata and Fabio Fognini in four sets in the first two rounds at Flushing Meadows before Saturday's 6-0 6-1 7-5 win over French veteran Richard Gasquet in two hours and 17 minutes.

"My best match in the tournament," Nadal told reporters. "Easy to say that because the other day was tough.

"But important improvement. But I need to keep going. It's a good victory for me. Straight sets for the first time. Third set had been a challenge. He increased the level.

"I went through some difficult moments. That's something that is good that I went through that and saved that moments with a positive feelings. Happy to be in the fourth round, without a doubt."

The victory over Gasquet meant he has progressed to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time in his career, although he conceded he would need to lift his level to take out the title, starting with Monday's fourth-round match with 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe.

Nadal is gunning for his third major title this calendar year in New York, having triumphed at the Australian Open and French Open.

The 36-year-old's Australian Open success in February came after minimal preparation due to a foot injury, similar to his US Open lead-up due to the abdominal issue.

"I think I played better in Australia than here going to the second week," Nadal said. "But I have zero background in terms of victories and all this stuff.

"Here I played little bit worse than in Australia, without a doubt. But the story of the year and the results on the slams have been incredible, so that helps.

"I don't know the balance, what's better or worse. But all these victories help to be a little bit more confident. It's a moment to increase, to making a step forward."

"Second week against a great player like Frances, I need to be ready to play and to raise my level. I hope to be able to make that happen.

"I know is the right moment to make an improvement if I want to keep having chances to keep going on the tournament."

Second seed Rafael Nadal continued his staggering head-to-head domination of Richard Gasquet as he cruised into the fourth round at the US Open with a straight-sets victory on Saturday.

The 22-time major winner was irrepressible across the first two sets before Gasquet rallied in the third, but Nadal triumphed 6-0 6-1 7-5 in two hours and 17 minutes.

The victory means the 2022 Australian Open and French Open champion will face 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round and improves his head-to-head record against Gasquet to 18-0.

Nadal, who had been shaky early against Fabio Fognini last round, was ruthless when it mattered, hitting 35 winners for the match and winning 78 per cent on his first serve.

After dropping the opening sets in his previous two matches against Fognini and Rinky Hijikata, Nadal responded with a flawless first frame that included converting three of six break points.

Gasquet's belief seemed completely gone in the second set, managing no winners, with Nadal in control. The Frenchman ended Nadal's nine-game winning run to loud applause, raising his arms in celebration and probable relief.

Nadal broke early in the third but Gasquet responded to break back, pushing hard in the third set. But the Spaniard's quality shone highlighted by his finesse with a lob helping him claim the decisive break in the 11th game.

Data Slam: Rafa's longevity on show

Saturday's win was Nadal's 30th at night at Arthur Ashe Stadium and took his tally to 22-0 at majors this year, having only withdrawn from Wimbledon due to an abdominal injury. The triumph also saw him progress to the second week at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time in his decorated career, that includes four US Open titles. 

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 35/23
Gasquet – 19/29

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 2/8
Gasquet – 1/7

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 7/15
Gasquet – 1/7

Matteo Berrettini outlined his desire to see Roger Federer return to the court as he compared the 20-time grand slam champion to retiring legend Serena Williams.

Federer has not played competitively since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, and has since undergone his third knee surgery in two years.

But the 41-year-old is hopeful of returning to the court for this month's Laver Cup, where he is set to team up with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for Team Europe.

Federer recently shared an encouraging video of a practice session on social media after stepping up his rehabilitation. 

With tennis set to lose one legend after Williams' final US Open campaign was ended by Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday, the return of Federer would represent a major boost for the sport.

Speaking after beating Murray in the third round at Flushing Meadows, Berrettini said: "I think I said it so many times. Probably it's never going to be enough. One of the reasons why I'm here now is Roger. 

"He was my idol when I was growing up. I was cheering for him, so I want him back really badly.

"He's just like Serena, I guess, one of a kind, you know?

"I wish him a really speedy recovery in whatever he's doing to come back. I wish I could play one more time against him."

Berrettini has lost each of his two tour-level matches against Federer, including a straight-sets defeat at Wimbledon in 2019.

Nick Kyrgios believes no other player will be able to emulate the career Serena Williams has enjoyed, after the grand slam great confirmed her retirement.

Williams went down 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 to Ajla Tomljanovic – Kyrgios' former partner – on Friday in the third round of the US Open.

That brought an end to her playing career, though the 40-year-old suggested she would leave the door open for a potential return.

Kyrgios, who defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a contest with reigning men's champion Daniil Medvedev, is in awe of what Williams has achieved, as he ranked the 23-time grand slam champion alongside Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

"She's had a career that I don’t think no one else will emulate," Kyrgios said.

"You've got a couple on the men’s side who are trying to catch her in grand slams, but Nadal, Serena, Federer, Novak, these are once in a generation athletes – I wouldn't even put myself in the same category, ever.

"It's a special moment for her, she played extremely well, she won two matches and nearly got on top [against Tomljanovic], it's a hell of a way to go out.

"I just appreciate what she's done and I'm sure everyone in this building does as well."

After beating Wu Yibing, world number one Medvedev said of Williams: "That was a crazy match, it was close to being three hours.

"It's definitely a pity that she lost. If it's the last match of her career, it was definitely an amazing match and she was really close to winning.

"Ajla played at a great level, it was not easy against the crowd and it was a high-level match."

Williams bows out with the most grand slam wins in the Open Era of any player, male or female.

Daniil Medvedev has described both himself and US Open fourth-round opponent Nick Kyrgios as "electric", but says the pair share more "respect" than friendship.

The world number one will continue his men's single title defence against the Australian in the last 16 at Flushing Meadows after a 6-4 6-2 6-2 Win over China's Wu Yibing.

The pair are set to meet for the fifth time on the ATP Tour, with Kyrgios holding an impressive 3-1 record over the Russian in their previous four encounters, including in the final of the 2019 Citi Open.

But Medvedev defeated the former on home turf at the Australian Open earlier this year, in arguably the biggest clash between the duo.

Speaking ahead of the pair's encounter, Medvedev stressed he does not see the pair as friends, but he has strong admiration for his opponent's game and is impressed at how he has revived his fortunes this year.

"I don't think we are friends," he added. "I feel like we respect each other a lot. We are both quite electric. You never know what's going to happen in the future

"Nick is a little bit different from other tennis players on the court. That's his choice. That's his life. I'm not the one to judge. I feel a lot of respect for him."

Asked if he is surprised at Kyrgios' improved form following a first grand slam final this year at Wimbledon, Medvedev added: "To be honest, yes.

"We all knew that he's capable of doing big things. We always knew on [his] day, he is capable of beating anyone.He [has] proved it many times, against the biggest players in the world."

Kyrgios, meanwhile, is relishing another battle on a big occasion, adding that his attempts to seize victory against the odds of public opinion allow him to "thrive".

"You want to be in those moments," he said. "I want to be playing on the biggest stadiums in the world in front of millions of people broadcasted globally. That's where I want to be. That is why I work hard.

"It makes it even sweeter. I know a lot of people don't want me to succeed. I know a lot of people hate my game, the way I do things, the way I go about it. I always thrive on it. I never want to forget all the things people say.

"I always carry this chip on my shoulder. Win or lose, I'm proud of how far I've come. I think that's where every tennis player wants to be, playing the best players in the world in the best stadiums in the world."

World number one Daniil Medvedev was levels above his third-round opponent Yibing Wu on Friday, defeating him 6-4 6-2 6-2 to set up a highly anticipated clash with Nick Kyrgios in his next match.

While Medvedev had the clear power advantage – finishing with 10 more winners and 11 more aces – he also allowed Wu to beat himself, with 18 unforced errors and three winners in the opening set.

Despite his early wastefulness, Wu still created six break point opportunities in the opening set, but could only capitalise on one. It would be his last break of the match as Medvedev tightened the screws down the stretch.

The Russian took the first four matches of the second set to take away any hope Wu had of fighting back into the contest, and in the third set Medvedev's serve really hit top gear.

He faced no break point opportunities in the final frame as he converted over 70 per cent of his points on both first serves (13-of-18) and second serves (eight-of-11), while Wu's errors returned, with 15 and just four winners.

Against Kyrgios next, Medvedev will be looking for his second win against the Australian in their fifth meeting. In their two matches this year – and their only two since 2019 – Medvedev won in four sets at the Australian Open, before Kyrgios got one back at the Canadian Open.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Medvedev – 12/5

Wu – 1/0

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Medvedev – 26/27

Wu – 16/42

BREAK POINTS WON

Medvedev – 6/12

Wu – 1/8

Nick Kyrgios was far too good J.J. Wolf in the third round of the US Open on Friday, not having his serve broken a single time in the 6-4 6-2 6-3 victory.

Kyrgios dominated the match with his serve, racking up 21 aces to Wolf's five, and of the seven break point opportunities the Australian allowed, he saved all seven.

His return game was sharp as well, creating 11 break points and converting five, and he used it to break away in the second set, rattling off five consecutive games to comfortably go up two sets to love.

The third set was more competitive as Kyrgios had a pair of double faults, and more unforced errors (17) than winners (16), but he ultimately had too much firepower for the 23-year-old American.

After coming back from a love-40 deficit, saving four break points in the game, Kyrgios put the finishing touches on the straight sets win with another break of serve to seal it.

With the win, he books his spot in the fourth round, where he will meet world number one Daniil Medvedev.

Kyrgios has won three of the four career meetings between the pair, including their most recent fixture at the Canadian Open.

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Kyrgios – 21/5

Wolf – 6/1

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Kyrgios – 36/32

Wolf – 20/26

BREAK POINTS WON

Kyrgios – 5/11

Wolf – 0/7

Andy Murray has admitted he is "surprised" to still be able to compete against top-level opponents given his injury history.

The 2012 US Open champion exited this year's competition following a third-round defeat to 13th seed Matteo Berrettini, though he did take the tie to four sets.

Having lost the first two sets, Murray fought back to win the tiebreaker in the third but his valiant attempts were ended by the Italian in the fourth, who sets up a round of 16 clash against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Despite the loss, Murray was pleased with his performance at the tournament and encouraged by his ability to still go toe-to-toe with the likes of Berrettini.

"I've got a metal hip. It's not easy playing with that. It's really difficult. I'm surprised I'm still able to compete with guys that are right up at the top of the game," he said after the match.

"Matches like this, you know, I'm really proud that I have worked myself into a position where I'm able to do that. I'm really disappointed that I didn't get over the line today. 

"But I get reminded like 'this is the first time you've made the third round here since 2016'. It's been six years. It's been a difficult six years for me. It's been really hard.

"Although it's the first time I've only made the third round here, I'm really proud of that effort that I put in to get myself back into these positions. So, I'm hoping that in the future I can go further, but considering, I did all right."

Murray went on to explain how things feel differently for him on the court, identifying he cannot move in the same way Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic still can.

"A lot of the things feel the same, but obviously I'm just not quite capable of the sort of movement and physicality that I was five, six years ago. I mean, that's pretty obvious. You know, I shouldn't expect to be," he said.

"I think if you watch Rafa and Novak moving around the court now who are similar age, I think they're moving pretty similar to how they were five, six years ago, whereas for me there's obviously been a bit of a drop-off there.

"That can affect you in terms of how you have to play the points. Maybe you just don't track as many balls down as before. Maybe the reach isn't just quite as much as it was.

"But in terms of the shots and everything, there is nothing that is stopping me from hitting the same shots as I did before."

Rafael Nadal feared he had broken his nose after being struck by his own racquet in the second-round win over Fabio Fognini at the US Open.

The Spaniard, seeking a 23rd grand slam title, once again recovered from losing the opening set to claim a 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 triumph at Flushing Meadows.

He will now face Richard Gasquet after extending his winning streak at majors in 2022 to 21 matches.

But he will hope the pain from a nasty-looking injury has subsided by then, with Nadal's racquet having bounced off the court and into his nose while he was stretching to make a return in the fourth set.

The world number three needed a medical timeout and treatment, returning with a plaster on his face as the incident ultimately did little to slow his momentum.

"It was just a strong hit," said Nadal. "At the beginning I thought I had broken the nose because it was a shock at the beginning. It was very painful.

"I lost a little bit of the feeling in my head. It was like being a little bit out of this world.

"I don't know, it seems like it is not broken. I am not sure yet. I don't know. I think it's getting bigger and bigger."

For the second match in succession, Nadal had to come from a set behind, having also lost the opener to first-round opponent Rinky Hijikata.

Having struggled to find his rhythm early on, the 36-year-old was pleased that his persistence paid off.

"I'm happy after a terrible start. I don't understand yet how I started that bad because the feeling before the match was good," he said, the win having secured his spot at the ATP Finals for a 17th time.

"But these kind of things sometimes happen, so you need to accept and keep going. That's what I did.

"I'm lucky that Fabio made some mistakes and I was able to start putting some balls in and finish the match playing obviously better, much better."

For a moment it seemed Rafael Nadal was in danger of a premature exit from the US Open against Fabio Fognini on Thursday but he steadied to improve his 2022 grand slam record to 21-0.

Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open titles earlier this year, but an abdominal injury forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon at the semi-final stage, handing Nick Kyrgios a passage to the decider won by Novak Djokovic.

The 22-time major champion is on a mission to make it three from four grand slam titles this calendar year in Djokovic's absence in New York.

The 36-year-old Spaniard will take on veteran Richard Gasquet next in the third round, whom Nadal boasts a remarkable 17-0 head-to-head record against.

Nadal's 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 win over Fognini also meant he became the first player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin too.

But the current world number three has bigger fish to fry, needing to maintain his perfect 2022 record at majors for a fifth US Open crown.

If he succeeds, Nadal will not quite claim a calendar Grand Slam - achieved only by five players in singles history in Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962, 1969), Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graf (1988) - but he would have achieved a staggering 26-0 record at majors for 2022.

For a moment it seemed Rafael Nadal was in danger of a premature exit from the US Open against Fabio Fognini on Thursday but he steadied to improve his 2022 grand slam record to 21-0.

Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open titles earlier this year, but an abdominal injury forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon at the semi-final stage, handing Nick Kyrgios a passage to the decider won by Novak Djokovic.

The 22-time major champion is on a mission to make it three from four grand slam titles this calendar year in Djokovic's absence in New York.

The 36-year-old Spaniard will take on veteran Richard Gasquet next in the third round, whom Nadal boasts a remarkable 17-0 head-to-head record against.

Nadal's 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 win over Fognini also meant he became the first player to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin too.

But the current world number three has bigger fish to fry, needing to maintain his perfect 2022 record at majors for a fifth US Open crown.

If he succeeds, Nadal will not quite claim a calendar Grand Slam - achieved only by five players in singles history in Don Budge (1938), Maureen Connolly (1953), Rod Laver (1962, 1969), Margaret Court (1970) and Steffi Graf (1988) - but he would have achieved a staggering 26-0 record at majors for 2022.

Rafael Nadal's quest for a 23rd grand slam title remains alive after overcoming a slow start to defeat Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in four sets on Thursday.

Nadal lost the opening set and trailed 4-2 in the second frame before responding in trademark fashion, winning 16 of the next 19 games, to set up a third-round meeting against Richard Gasquet.

The Spaniard won 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 in two hours and 42 minutes, having also lost the opening set in the first-round win over Rinky Hijikata.

This year's Australian Open and French Open champion's surge to victory was momentarily halted in the fourth set 3-0 up in the fourth game when his racquet bounced off the hard court and into his nose when stretching for a shot.

Nadal needed a medical timeout and treatment but would return to play on, appearing relatively untroubled despite wearing a bandage over his nose, to complete the win.

The four-time US Open champion, who amassed 37 unforced errors for the match, found himself in a spot of bother after losing the first frame with Fognini converting both of his two break points, before a wild second set that included seven breaks of serve.

Fognini appeared on course for a two-set lead at 4-2 but 23 unforced errors in the second set let him down with Nadal's pressure rising.

The Spaniard's game went up a level in the third, improving his first serve percentage to 75 per cent and only omitting five unforced errors and he carried that momentum through the fourth where he broke Fognini in the second and sixth games, before serving it out.

Data Slam: Breaks galore as Rafa gets revenge

Way back at the 2015 Open playing in a similarly late evening match past midnight, Fognini came from two sets down to defeat Nadal but the Spaniard reversed that this time around. Back in 2015 there were 17 breaks of serve for the match, while in 2022, with a set less played, there were 15 breaks for the match. Almost half of those were in a crazy second set.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 20/37

Fognini – 24/59

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 4/2

Fognini – 1/9

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 9/14

Fognini – 6/10

Rafael Nadal's quest for a 23rd grand slam title remains alive after overcoming a slow start to defeat Italian veteran Fabio Fognini in four sets on Thursday.

Nadal lost the opening set and trailed 4-2 in the second frame before responding in trademark fashion, winning 16 of the next 19 games, to set up a third-round meeting against Richard Gasquet.

The Spaniard won 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-1 in two hours and 42 minutes, having also lost the opening set in the first-round win over Rinky Hijikata.

This year's Australian Open and French Open champion's surge to victory was momentarily halted in the fourth set when his racquet bounced off the hard court and into his nose when stretching for a shot.

Nadal needed a medical timeout and treatment but would return to play on, appearing relatively untroubled despite wearing a bandage over his nose, to complete the win.

The four-time US Open champion found himself in a spot of bother after losing the first frame with Fognini converting both of his two break points, before a wild second set that included seven breaks of serve.

Fognini appeared on course for a two-set lead at 4-2 but 23 unforced errors in the second set let him down with Nadal's pressure rising.

The Spaniard's game went up a level in the third, improving his first serve percentage to 75 per cent and only omitting five unforced errors and he carried that momentum through the fourth where he broke Fognini in the second and sixth games, before serving it out.

Data Slam: Breaks galore as Rafa gets revenge

Way back at the 2015 Open playing in a similarly late evening match past midnight, Fognini came from two sets down to defeat Nadal but the Spaniard reversed that this time around. Back in 2015 there were 17 breaks of serve for the match, while in 2022, with a set less played, there were 15 breaks for the match. Almost half of those were in a crazy second set.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Nadal – 20/37

Fognini – 24/59

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Nadal – 4/2

Fognini – 1/9

BREAK POINTS WON

Nadal – 9/14

Fognini – 6/10

Tennis great Roger Federer has congratulated outgoing 23-time major winner Serena Williams on an "incredible career".

The 41-year-old Swiss revealed in a video message posted by the ATP Tour that he stayed up as a teenager to watch Williams' maiden US Open triumph in 1999 and lavished praise on her impact in the sport.

Williams, 40, last month announced her intention to evolve out of tennis after the US Open, where she has remarkably progressed to the third round following her upset win over second seed Anett Kontaveit on Thursday.

"I wanted to congratulate you for a most incredible career," 20-time grand slam champion Federer said.

"You know what you've achieved. I know what you've done. You know what it is, it just beyond incredible.

"I know it's probably with mixed feelings you're leaving this wonderful sport that has given you everything and more. I wish you all the best with your family."

Williams has won six US Open titles during her decorated playing career, including her maiden Flushing Meadows triumph in 1999.

"I think back at '99 at the US Open when you played Martina Hingis, I stayed up late to watch you battle it out as that was the beginning to your incredible career that you've had ever since," Federer said.

"I think the future is going to be wonderful for you. I'm sure it is. Please return to tennis. The tennis community and family will always welcome you with open arms and always be happy to see you again, so please return.

"For now enjoy this moment, enjoy the US Open, enjoy everything that's coming this next couple of weeks even though it might be hard for you.

"But I'm thinking of you and all my respect. I wish you all the very best for your future. Take care Serena."

Federer has not played professional tennis since Wimbledon last year, but has not retired and the former world number one is hoping for a return to action soon.

Britain's Jack Draper claimed one of the biggest scalps of the US Open so far after stunning sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory to progress to the third round.

The 20-year-old defeated last year's Flushing Meadows semi-finalist to reach the last 32 in his first main-draw appearance at the final major of the season.

On the back of a second-round appearance at Wimbledon earlier this year, it represents Draper's best showing at a Grand Slam to date – and at few points did the Briton look at risk of letting the tie slip away from his grasp.

Draper saved all three of the break points he faced and took three of the 10 presented to him in a fine showing at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

For the Canadian, it brings a premature end to what the 22-year-old likely hoped would be a promising tournament that could have seen him go one better than last year.

He is the third top-10 seeded men's player to be eliminated, following first-round exits for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz against qualifiers Daniel Elahi Galan and Brandon Holt respectively.