Rafael Nadal vs. Lucas Pouille: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Lucas Pouille delivered one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 U.S. Open, upsetting fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal in five sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) in the fourth round Sunday in Flushing Meadows, New York.

This could be a potential star-making moment for the 24th-seeded Frenchman.

ESPN's LZ Granderson sees a bright future for him:

This isn't the first time Pouille has broken through at a Grand Slam. He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this year, but Sunday's victory was the biggest of his career.

Pouille blitzed Nadal in the first set. The 22-year-old showed no fear against the 14-time Grand Slam champion, opening up a 3-0 lead before Nadal held serve in the fourth game. Pouille proceeded to capture the next three games, wrapping up the set in 28 minutes.

In the opening frame, Pouille picked up twice as many winners (eight) as Nadal (four) and committed three fewer unforced errors. He also won nine of his 12 second-serve points, compared to Nadal going 0-of-6 on his second serve.

The Wall Street Journal's Tom Perrotta noted losing the first set, 6-1, didn't bode well for Nadal's chances of advancing to the quarterfinals:

The Spaniard looked more like his normal self in the second set. As the U.S. Open showed, his desire to level the match was evident after he held serve to take the fourth game:

 The massive momentum shifts engrossed Alize Cornet:

Nadal was able to successfully dictate the flow of the match from the baseline in the second set. He had Pouille constantly on the move, which took some of the sting out of Pouille's heavy groundstrokes.

Most expected the second set to be the turning point, after which Nadal would begin cruising. Instead, Pouille responded and earned a service break in the first game of the third set.

That break was the difference, as neither player dropped serve over the remainder of the set. Pouille picked up three aces and won 23 of his 34 service points. The U.S. Open shared a replay of Nadal's long return in the 10th game, which gave the set to Pouille:

Things went badly for Pouille in the fourth set. He needed five sets to advance past the second and third rounds, and all of that tennis began catching up with him as Sunday's match progressed. And few opponents pose a bigger problem for a fatigued player than Nadal.

Pouille's performance didn't decline significantly in the fourth frame, but he had a harder time tracking down Nadal's shots on the baseline. As a result, he couldn't hit groundstrokes as effectively or get Nadal on the defensive.

With Pouille reeling, Nadal capitalized and opened the fifth set with a service break.

ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert thought the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium were giving Nadal a helping hand:

Nadal looked to be rolling on the strength of that break until Pouille had a break of his own in the eighth game to tie the set at 4-4. Courtney Nguyen of WTATennis.com wasn't the only fan who was surprised to see him fight his way back into the match:

Pouille and Nadal then both held serve to send the decisive set into a tiebreaker. Tennis commentator David Law shared a photo of Arthur Ashe Stadium, which remained full even as the match moved past the three-and-a-half-hour mark:

Caroline Wozniacki, who upset Madison Keys earlier in the day, watched the tiebreaker with rapt attention:

The turning point in the tiebreak came with the score tied at 6-6, when Nadal dumped what looked to be an easy forehand winner into the net.

ESPN's Chris Fowler was disheartened to see him wilt at such a pivotal moment:

A forehand winner down the line sent Pouille through to his second Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he'll meet fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Monfils has run through the U.S. Open with ease so far. He didn't drop a set in his first four matches, but he has also yet to face a seeded player.

Pouille will be pushed to his physical limits coming off three straight long matches, which may be a decisive factor in his match against Monfils.

For Nadal, it's hard not to think about what the future may hold. He hasn't reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2015 French Open, which is a significant drought for a player with his resume. His last Grand Slam win was at Roland Garros in 2014.

While it's still too early to suggest Nadal will never win another Grand Slam, he turned 30 in June, an age at which many top stars begin declining. That conversation is at least becoming more interesting after his defeat to Pouille.

Post-Match Reaction

"This is my first match on the center court against Rafa, so I couldn’t dream better than this," Pouille said on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, per Nick McCarvel of USA Today.

He also admitted to being a bit uncertain about his chances of winning as the tiebreaker played out: "At 6-3, I thought 'OK, I'm going to win this.' But then at 6-6, I did not. I'm very happy. This is the most happy I am at the tournament."

Nadal spoke about his unforced error at 6-6 in the tiebreaker.

"I was very aggressive all the match and at 6-6," he said, per the Guardian's Tom Lutz. "I played the right point. I put [myself] in a position to have the winner, and I had the mistake. That's it. You cannot go crazy thinking about these kind of things, no?"

Note: Stats are courtesy of the U.S. Open's official website.