No. 2 Rafael Nadal Beats Marin Cilic in 4 Sets to Reach US Open Quarterfinals

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal is through to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for the third straight year after defeating No. 22 Marin Cilic 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the fourth round Monday.

Nadal will meet 20th-seeded Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals after Schwartzman upset Alexander Zverev. Nadal is 7-0 against the 27-year-old Argentine, most recently winning in straight sets in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in March.

The first two sets were an inverse of one another. Nadal earned a pair of service breaks and was in control for the most part in the opening frame. Then Cilic responded with a break in the fourth game of the second set and held serve to build a 4-1 lead.

What was shaping up to be a dramatic back-and-forth affair took another turn as Nadal flipped a switch in between sets. He completely overmatched Cilic in the third set, with the distance covered by the respective players telling the entire story.

According to the U.S. Open's official site, Cilic averaged 40.9 feet per point in the second set compared to 43.0 feet for Nadal. The Croat did a great job of keeping Nadal on the defensive.

That changed in the third set as Nadal successfully dictated the pace from the baseline, traveling just 35.9 feet per point. As a result, he had more winners (11) and fewer unforced errors (six) than the set before (nine winners, seven unforced errors).

Even when Cilic dragged Nadal to the net, the 18-time Grand Slam champion pulled off shots like this:

Given the size of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the U.S. Open can provide an experience unlike most other tennis tournaments when its main venue is packed for marquee night matches. The fans provided a visible lift to Nadal as he created a wide gulf from his opponent.

He continued to steamroll over Cilic in the fourth set, which was summed up in the penultimate point of the match. Cilic forced Nadal into the corner with a powerful forehand to set up an angled volley to Nadal's forehand.

Not only did the left-hander somehow cover enough ground to reach the ball, but he also wrapped his forehand winner around the net post.

Novak Djokovic retired from his fourth-round match with Stan Wawrinka, taking out the top seed in the men's singles draw. With Djokovic no longer a factor, Nadal is the clear favorite to be the last man standing.

Schwartzman presents a favorable matchup and a date with either Gael Monfils or Matteo Berrettini awaiting in the semifinals.

With Roger Federer still alive in the top half of the bracket, the U.S. Open final could feature yet another entry in their legendary rivalry.