World Number one Rafa Nadal trounced South African Kevin Anderson in three straight sets 6-3 6-3 6-4 to lift his 16th Grand Slam trophy, his third in New York.
Nadal broke Anderson in the first set to go up 4-3, after the two players had held serve three games apiece. Nadal reaped bountifully from Anderson’s erratic forehand, such that midway in the first set, he had logged 20 unforced errors.
Nadal and Anderson after the game
Sunday’s final marked Nadal’s fourth and the first time that he did not have Novak Djokovic standing on the other side of the net.
The world number one was as brilliant as he was business-like keeping the towering South African under constant pressure while not facing a single break point.
For journeyman Anderson 31, a grand slam breakthrough was not to be, his booming serve having no impact while Nadal delivered a near-perfect performance for a soldout crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium committing just 11 unforced errors.
