New York: Rafael Nadal withstood his first test at this US Open, shifting into another gear to beat Sam Querrey 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Monday and match his best result at the tournament that's always bedeviled him.
Playing for the sixth year at Flushing Meadows, the No. 1-ranked Nadal rallied to reach the quarterfinals. He got quite a workout and a scare from his unseeded, 20-year-old American opponent.
''Very tough,'' Nadal said. ''Sam is a big player, a big server. He has a great future.''
Down 6-5 in the third set, Nadal suddenly flashed the form that won at Wimbledon, the French Open and the Olympics. Hitting harder, grunting louder and moving in closer, he quickly forced a tiebreaker and leaped to celebrate.
Nadal won the final four points to take the tiebreaker and later served out the match.
Nadal next plays another unseeded American, Mardy Fish, who reached the quarterfinals at the US Open for the first time with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 32 Gael Monfils.
Also advancing was No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who ended the run of Kei Nishikori, the first Japanese man to reach the U.S. Open's fourth round in the 40-year Open era. Del Potro won the contest between teenagers 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 for his 23rd consecutive victory.
Del Potro will face No. 6 Andy Murray, who beat 10th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
Venus and Serena Williams set up yet another Grand Slam family reunion. Two months after meeting in the Wimbledon final, this time they square off in the quarterfinals.
Venus beat ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3, and Serena dispatched wild card Severine Bremond of France 6-2, 6-2.
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Both sisters are two-time U.S. Open champions. They are 8-8 overall against each other, including 5-5 at majors. Their matchups, however, usually come much later than the quarters.
''I mean, it's tough to play her because she's so good,'' Venus said. ''We're going stronger than ever, in my opinion.''
Also, sixth-seeded Dinara Safina beat qualifier Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 7-5, 6-0, and will face No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, who defeated two-time major champion Amelie Maursemo 6-3, 6-0.
Ranked 55th, Querrey gave a solid show and became the first player to take a set from Nadal at this Open. His fans in the Arthur Ashe Stadium private box were vocal, particularly the three who had their shirts off and spelled out S-A-M on their chests.
Nadal, who's won 42 of his past 43 matches, had to work hard to wear down the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey. When Nadal served for a two-set lead, Querrey broke him at love. When Nadal was trying to put the kid away, serving with a 4-2 edge in the fourth set, Querrey compiled seven break points.
''The match was crazy like that, no?'' Nadal said.
He saved each of those seven break points, though, and that pretty much was that.
''He had to earn it,'' Querrey noted proudly. ''I didn't just give it to him.''
Playing in his ninth U.S. Open, Fish kept busy as his wedding approaches. He will marry ''Deal or No Deal'' model Stacey Gardner on Sept. 28 _ she watched from his private box, minus her shiny No. 2 briefcase.
''I desperately wanted to play well here,'' he said. ''Desperately.''
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Fish matched the best Grand Slam result of his career, having reached the quarters at the 2007 Australian Open. He waved to the private box after match point. The entourage included his father, Tom, who celebrated his birthday. No such fun for Monfils, who turned 22 on Monday.
As for facing Nadal?
''I feel like a guy with my style of play is someone that he doesn't want to see,'' said Fish, who kept charging forward against Monfils and won the point of 45 of 69 trips to the net. ''You've got to be able to finish points quickly. He's going to last longer than anybody. He wants to keep the points as long as possible and run the guys down, kind of body-blow after body-blow.''
Safina coasted home after a close first set against Groenefeld, the first qualifier to reach the fourth round since Anna Kournikova in 1996. Safina equaled her best result at Flushing Meadows, and kept up the best season of her career.
Safina reached the final at the French Open and later won 15 straight matches before losing to Elena Dementieva in the gold-medal match at the Olympics.
For Pennetta, the Italian was dazed to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
''I've had a few chances at Wimbledon and Roland Garros and didn't make it,'' she said. ''To be here today it's unbelievable. I hope its not the finish.''
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