US Open Tennis 2017 Results: Rafael Nadal, Karolina Pliskova Win in Monday Play

The top players left in the U.S. Open field were in action Monday and looking for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Both No. 1 seeds put on a display in the early matches as Karolina Pliskova and Rafael Nadal cruised to easy victories, while five-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer joined them in the next round with a straight sets win.

Here are the latest results from Day 8 of the last Grand Slam of the year.

Results/Upcoming Matches

Men's Draw

No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Alexandr Dolgopolov; 6-2, 6-4, 6-1

Andrey Rublev def. No. 9 David Goffin; 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3

No. 24 Juan Martin del Potro def. No. 6 Dominic Thiem; 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4

No. 3 Roger Federer def. No. 33 Philipp Kohlschreiber; 6-4, 6-2, 7-5

Women's Draw

No. 1 Karolina Pliskova def. Jennifer Brady; 6-1, 6-0

No. 20 CoCo Vandeweghe def. Lucie Safarova; 6-4, 7-6(2)

Kaia Kanepi def. Daria Kasatkina; 6-4, 6-4

No. 15 Madison Keys def. No. 4 Elina Svitolina; 7-6, 1-6, 6-4

Day 8 Recap

Abbie Parr/Getty Images

After a pair of hard-fought wins that lasted three sets, Pliskova showed why she is the No. 1 player in the women's draw with a dominant win over Jennifer Brady.

It took just 46 minutes to complete the match, and the underdog won a single game in two sets. Pliskova made her opponent move all over the court, allowing for several impressive winners throughout the day.

The U.S. Open account captured her first-set clincher:

She won 55 of 77 total points (71.4 percent), including 23 winners and only nine unforced errors. After some up-and-down play throughout the first week, the Czech star appears to once again be a top contender to bring home a title.

The same could be said for Nadal, who dropped the first set in each of his last two matches before coming back to win.

He had no such problem Monday, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets with little resistance.

The No. 1 seed was consistent with his serve, winning 82 percent of first serves and 79 percent of second serves to avoid any breaks. He was just as good with the return game, earning easy-looking points against Dolgopolov:

Nadal will now face Andrey Rublev, who was responsible for the first big upset of the day over No. 9 David Goffin.

The 19-year-old has won 12 of his 13 sets so far in the U.S. Open, including two straight-set victories over top-10 opponents with an upset over No. 7 Grigor Dimitrov in Round 2. The win over Goffin wasn't easy, but he attacked the second serve and earned five breaks in the three-set battle.

While the upcoming matchup against Nadal could be intimidating for some, Rublev isn't worried.

"He's the real champion," he said of Nadal, per the U.S. Open Twitter account. "I'm just going to enjoy it. It’s the quarterfinal and I have nothing to lose."

Kaia Kanepi was another unseeded player to reach the quarterfinals after her 6-4, 6-4 win over Daria Kasatkina, making history in the process, per WTA Tennis:

There was more established talent on display in the tight battle between CoCo Vandeweghe and Lucie Safarova.

The back-and-forth matchup featured just three breaks, with Vandeweghe using one to win the first set. The second went to tiebreak, which saw the American excel once again with her serve to earn the victory.

She will now take on top-seeded Pliskova in the quarterfinals.

Fans were treated to a show in the five-set thriller between Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem. After two easy set wins for Thiem, del Potro stormed back with three straight set wins, ending the match with a break in the fifth set.

Those watching along were impressed by the show from both players:

Delpo appeared physically finished earlier in the match, but appeared fueled by the crowd and found a way to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

Now he must face the dominant Federer, who cruised past Philipp Kohlschreiber without even allowing a break point chance. While the 19-time major winner was tested with two five-set matches to open his tournament, the victory marked his second consecutive straight sets win as he approaches a potential semifinal showdown with Nadal.

Federer was particularly dominant with his serve, notching 11 aces and winning 88 percent of his first-service points, per the tournament's official website. 

Madison Keys didn't win in straight sets like Federer, but she did impress with a clutch performance in a decisive third set after dropping the second to Elina Svitolina 6-1. Rather than let the second-set struggles linger, she rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third set with four straight game victories to outlast the No. 4 seed in the third 6-4.