New York Sep 1 (IANS) Defending champion Rafael Nadal has advanced to the round of 16 of the US Open with a 5-7 7-6 7-6(7) 7-6(3) victory over Karen Khachanov.
The world No. 1 overcame pain in his right knee to dispatch the 27th-seeded Russian in a match that went on for nearly four and a half hours on Friday -- the longest contest so far at the 2018 tournament reports Efe news.
After getting off to a slow start and losing the first set the Spaniard came back to win the next three though the final two went to tie-breakers.
"He is a great opponent and it was a tough situation. There are things to work on for the next round " Nadal said after defeating Khachanov.
Nadal s next opponent will be Georgia s Nikoloz Basilashvili who defeated Argentina s Guido Pella 6-3 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) earlier on Friday.

--IANS kk/in