Looking healthy, Rafael Nadal puts on vintage performance in win over Denis Istomin

NEW YORK—You can build a roof on top of Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the court itself remains the same. Six years ago, in a night match on the U.S. Open’s gigantic center court, Denis Istomin earned the biggest cheer from the New York crowd when he pulled off this point-winning sequence against Rafael Nadal (jump to the 4:00 mark):

Istomin’s all-court scramble gave him a 5-1 lead in the second-set tiebreaker. He would go on to lose the match in straight sets.

On Monday afternoon, the Uzbek reprised his showmanship with daring tactics in Nadal’s very first service game. He raced to the side to clock a running forehand winner that barely cleared the net. He struck a picturesque volley that inched over the tape and stopped on a dime. Later, he gestured for a challenge like a seasoned veteran of Flushing Meadows’ select Hawk-Eye-enabled courts.

And, in another bit of déjà vu, he lost in straight sets.

“Always is a really dangerous player,” Nadal said of Istomin after his 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory, recalling their 2010 meeting. “I think I resist [his push in the second set]. I think I played a solid match for all the fans.”

While Istomin may be comfortable on tennis’ biggest stages, Nadal excels on them. And although his year could kindly be described as sporadic—a mixture of injury setbacks, surprising defeats and deep runs that rekindle the Spaniard’s roaring flame—he seems to have found a groove since returning to action at the Olympics. Although his semifinal loss in Rio to Juan Martin del Potro was painful from an emotional perspective, it was a win-win result for both men, two enormous talents who have been sidelined far too often.

There were no ill effects noticeable from Nadal on Monday. (“My wrist is improving,” he told ESPN on the court.) Nadal’s trademark baseline scrambling was unabated and kept pressure on Istomin, who takes the ball on the rise when he’s feeling his best. Nadal saw some of that form from Istomin in the second set, and was pushed to 15-30 on serve at 4-4. But Nadal never let his dangerous adversary get closer, regularly keeping him at bay with his forehand. Nadal didn’t hold back with his signature shot, which accounted for the majority of his 21 winners. Istomin struck 19 of his own, but negated them with 39 unforced errors.

After saving a break point at 1-1 in the third set, Nadal’s all-court pressure suffocated Istomin, who relented in just over two hours.

“The most important thing is I am here in New York, and that makes me feel happy,” Nadal said. “Injuries are part of the career of everybody; I’ve had a hard time this year.”

In his post-match chat, it was revealed that Nadal was the first player to hit a ball on Ashe with the roof closed. If he has it his way, he’ll also be the last player to hit a ball on Ashe—rain or shine.