WHAT HAPPENED: Rafael Nadal, the top seed and tour-leading title winner, moved one step closer to defending his US Open crown, serving with pace and purpose to defeat the Canadian challenger Vasek Pospisil, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
"Winning in straight sets is always important, especially in these conditions," Nadal said on court after his victory, referring to the still-oppressive heat and humidity during the night session.
Playing under the lights on Ashe Stadium for a second consecutive match, Nadal continued the torrid form he has exhibited most of the year.
The Spaniard didn't have much of an opportunity to get into a rhythm in his first-round match, when compatriot David Ferrer was forced to retire in the second set. But on Wednesday night against Pospisil, Nadal was locked into a commanding groove, especially on his serve and forehand.
Nadal played aggressively and efficiently, stepping inside the baseline to swat punishing forehands to both corners, relegating the Canadian to the hinterlands of the backcourt.
Nadal made just four unforced errors on the forehand side. But it was his serve that really told the story of the match. The Mallorcan, not known for his imposing delivery, served spectacularly, barely giving Pospisil a look at second balls. For most of the match, Nadal was impenetrable on serve.
On hard courts, the Spaniard has made a very conscious effort to go bigger on his first serve and vary placement around the box. A more offensive serve has been a fundamental feature of his championships in Flushing Meadows.
In the second set, at 1-2, Nadal erased four break points with free points on his serve. Midway through the match, Nadal had connected on 96 percent of his first serves. He finished having won 84 percent of his first-serve points, backed up by 26 winners and winning 14 of 17 points at net.
Nadal suffered just one brief hiccup in the second set, when Pospisil suddenly broke Nadal’s serve at love and threatened to make a match of it. But Nadal broke right back and stormed through six games in a row, taking the second set and an early, unsurmountable lead in the third.
WHAT IT MEANS: Pospisil, 28, reached a career high ranking of No. 25 back in 2013, but he now finds himself at No. 88 and often laboring on the Challenger circuit. But he put up a good fight for the first two sets, continually pumping himself up even as Nadal routinely pummeled balls past his outstretched racket. By the final set, though, the Canadian was clearly depleted, unable to offer any resistance.
Nadal is demonstrating much better form than he did at this point in the tournament last year, when he took several matches to gain confidence. His timing, movement, offense and especially serve all look intimidating.
MATCH POINT: Nadal holds a lifetime 4-0 advantage over his next opponent, the 6-foot-6 Karen Khachanov. But the 22-year-old is, as Nadal said, “young and strong.” Nadal and Khachanov played a tight match just weeks ago in Toronto, with Nadal emerging the victor 7-6, 6-4. The Russian has the capacity to serve and hit big, which he will need to do if he wishes to upset Nadal in his current form.
