In a quarter-final match at the US open that could easily go down as the match of the year, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem fought each other to a standstill at Flushing Meadows.

Four hours and 49 minutes, that’s how long this gladiatorial battle lasted as Nadal overcame the 9th-seeded Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) in a marathon encounter. Nadal, the defending champion, was ‘bagelled’ in the first set as the Spaniard won only seven points.

Thiem, on a roll, took the opening set in just 24 minutes, breaking Nadal thrice. “I suffered, that’s the right word,” Nadal said as he closed in on his fourth US Open title and 18th Grand Slam victory.

The Austrian was the first top 20 player that Nadal faced in the US Open since 2013 and broke the Spaniard numerous times in the third and fourth sets, but also made 58 errors.

Nadal will face Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-final of the US Open. The pair also clashed in the Wimbledon quarters, where Nadal survived in a five-set encounter after going down two sets to one.