‘To beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion is very special,’ says ‘brave’ Lloyd Harris after Rafael Nadal win
It was a moment to savour for Lloyd Harris in Washington as he claimed the biggest win of his career with a stunning upset victory over Rafael Nadal at the Citi Open.
Harris, who had beaten the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem on the ATP Tour earlier this year, secured the scalp of 20-time major winner Nadal with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win in the third round.
Lloyd OVERJOYED 🤩✨@lloydharris63 stuns Nadal 6-4 1-6 6-4 under the lights in Washington to reach the QF!#CitiOpen pic.twitter.com/qEmPHT8Psb
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 6, 2021
After a three-hour tussle against Jack Sock in the second round, Nadal’s on-court hours increased to over five hours as he battled for two hours and 11 minutes against the South African.
Harris got the lone break in the opening set in game seven, but Nadal bounced back impressively as breaks in games four and six helped him to take it to a decider.
The Spaniard pushed hard early in the third set as the 14th seed saved two break points in the opening game and one in the fifth before the South African converted his only opportunity in the 10th game to seal the match.
“Today was really special. I think I have had some big wins, and this year I have beat some Grand Slam champions,” Harris said. “But to beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion, and especially in front of a full crowd and with such an amazing atmosphere, it was definitely something very special.”
Harris will face Kei Nishikori, who beat seventh seed Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarter-finals on Friday, and the South African had plenty of positives from his win over world No 3.
“I did a lot of good things. I think the best thing was to stay in the moment, keep my composure, and I think I just stayed with my game and stayed playing a consistently good level throughout the match,” Harris said. “It was a good, quality match, I think. Not easy for me out there. It was pretty physical, but all in all, I’m just super happy with how everything turned out.”
Nadal, meanwhile, was impressed by the 24-year-old.
“All the credit to him that he played aggressive,” he said. “He played well. He was brave. So, well done.”
In the bottom half of the draw, fifth seed Jannik Sinner won the battle of the young guns as the Italian defeated Sebastian Korda from the United States 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3) while American wildcard Jensen Brooksby stunned second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4.
Latest
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic 3.0: Tennis great’s latest re-invention already underway with ruthless coaching move
The innovation doesn’t stop with Novak Djokovic.
-
Tennis News
Novak Djokovic announces shock departure of long-term coach – ‘Thanks for everything my friend’
Did anyone see that Novak Djokovic coaching bombshell coming?
-
ATP Tour
Expert reveals how long Andy Murray could be sidelined if he requires surgery after ‘devastating’ injury
“The decision will be made to potentially treat it with non-surgery but that’s unlikely I think.”
-
ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz has bad news for his rivals with latest remarks as he also gives insight into aggressive tactics
Carlos Alcaraz is “feeling great on the court” again, which should be a concern for his rivals.
-
WTA Tour
Victoria Azarenka reveals how Novak Djokovic is inspiring her to reach for more
How world No 1 Novak Djokovic is inspiring Victoria Azarenka to reach for more.
-
ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner can’t control his laughter as he hits his physio in a ‘really important’ spot
Physio Giacomo Naldi was in Jannik Sinner’s line of fire at the Miami Open.
-
Tennis News
Andy Murray faces agonising waiting game after ankle injury nightmare
Andy Murray waiting to hear whether he still has a chance to end his career at Wimbledon this summer.
-
ATP Tour
Daniil Medvedev admits it ‘didn’t smell good’ as he mounts amazing Miami comeback
Daniil Medvedev bounced back from a desperate position in the first set tie-break to beat Dominik Koepfer.
-
Tennis News
Final moments of the Novak Djokovic era of dominance were hard to identify
Novak Djokovic’s reign as the king of men’s tennis appeared to be set to run and run – but the mood has changed.
-
Tennis News
Juan Martin del Potro makes Novak Djokovic claim as he weighs in on GOAT debate
“I believe that if he wins a couple more Grand Slams, there will no longer be a discussion.”