New York (AFP)

Gael Monfils gave an appointment Monday to the American public who loves it, for a new representation of his show in the quarterfinals of the US Open, just like Rafael Nadal who lost his first set of the tournament.

"I was very good, I was very good physically, I hit hard, I think tonight it was a good show," the Frenchman said to the Louis-Armstrong court audience. returned an ovation.

He had just played in 1:26 of the Spaniard Pablo Andujar (70), 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, taking a ticket to face the Italian Matteo Berrettini (25th).

"It's going to be a very big game," he warned about an opponent who "serves very well, has a great forehand and is especially aggressive."

The latest French contender, winner of the Rotterdam tournament this year, will play the 9th Grand Slam quarter-final of his career, the 4th at Flushing Meadows. In 2016, he had reached the last four, but last year he was eliminated in the second round.

In 2019, he has great ambitions in this tournament and the city of New York that he considers his "second home".

Physical glitches, especially at his left ankle, which have greatly clouded his season (pre-quarter package at the Masters 1000 Indian Wells, package before his semifinal at the Masters 1000 Montreal, abandonment in the first round at Wimbledon, package before the Masters 1000 of Miami and Monte-Carlo), seem to be dismissed.

Berrettini will play him the first Grand Slam quarter of his career after dismissing the Russian Andrey Rublev (43) 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6).

- "Amazing match" -

"I had an incredible match because Andrey was playing very well," commented the 23-year-old, second-ranked Italian player in the men's quarter at Flushing Meadows after Corrado Barazzutti in 1977.

At the time, Barazzutti had gone to the semi-finals.

Nadal qualified him by giving a run to the 2014 winner, Marin Cilic (22nd).

"In the 2nd set, he was more aggressive than me, I backed down and he was very determined, so I told myself that we had to change that because I was in his hands," said the Spaniard who lined up 9 games in a row while both players were tied for one set all over and 1-1 in the third inning.

For his 40th quarter-final Grand Slam, Nadal will face the Argentine Diego Schwartzman (21st) who inflicted on Alexander Zverev (6th) a fourth bout of more than three hours in four games, to beat him 3-6 , 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

- Dirty time for the tenants -

Dirty time on the other hand for the holders of the title: a few hours after the abandonment of Novak Djokovic, it is Naomi Osaka who was eliminated in the round of 16, a defeat all the more bitter that it makes it fall also of his world throne.

The Japanese has been beaten by Switzerland's Belinda Bencic (12th) 7-5, 6-4 and will be replaced next Monday at the top of the WTA by Australian Ashleigh Barty, winner at Roland Garros and current N.2 , also eliminated in the round of 16.

Osaka, 21, chained a title at the Australian Open in January after winning the title at Flushing Meadows last year against Serena Williams in the final, her first Grand Slam trophy.

"The challenge could not be bigger because she absolutely had to keep her title, so I'm very happy," said Bencic, who is doing better at the US Open this year than at the Australian Open, Roland- Garros and Wimbledon where she was eliminated each time in the third round.

Bencic will face for a place in the semifinals the Croatian Donna Vekic (23rd), who had the German Julia Görges to reach his first quarter Grand Slam, not without having saved a match point.

"I do not even know how I won ... she served for the match and had a match point on her serve" at 5-4 in the second set, commented Vekic.

© 2019 AFP