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Rafael Nadal stunned at U.S. Open, Serena Williams survives

By The Sports Xchange
Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a backhand to Fabio Fognini of Italy in their 3rd round match on day five at the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 4, 2015. Serena Williams is trying to become the first woman to win the Tennis Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
1 of 3 | Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a backhand to Fabio Fognini of Italy in their 3rd round match on day five at the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 4, 2015. Serena Williams is trying to become the first woman to win the Tennis Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Rafael Nadal's 10-year streak of winning at least one major title per season came to an abrupt end Friday, as he blew a two-set lead in a third-round match at the 2015 U.S. Open, losing 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to 32nd-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy.

Earlier this year, Nadal, the winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, lost in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, and the second round at Wimbledon.

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The eighth-seeded Nadal, who had never lost a Grand Slam match when taking a two-set lead, came into the match having won 22 of his last 23 U.S. Open matches, including titles in 2010 and 2013, while making it to the finals in 2011. He missed the last two years due to injuries.

The 28-year-old Fognini faces 18th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in round four.

While Nadal didn't make it out of the third round, Serena Williams encountered her first real challenge of the U.S. Open when she lost the first set of Friday's match.

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But the top seed stormed back to beat fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands to advance to the fourth round and keep her hopes alive to achieve a calendar grand slam.

Mattek-Sands won the first set 6-3 thanks to 16 unforced errors by Williams. With Mattek-Sands not wilting, and Williams eliminating the unforced errors, the second set was up for grabs.

But Williams finally got her game together. With the set tied at 5-5, Williams steadied herself to win the next eight points and the second set, 7-5.

From there, it was all Williams.

While the first two sets were neck-and-neck, it took all of 25 minutes for Williams to show why she is the world's best. She served seven aces and had just four unforced errors while breaking serve three times to score a 6-0 victory.

Williams advances to play fellow American Madison Keys, a straight-set winner over Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, in the next round.

Also on the men's side, top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat No. 25 Andreas Seppi of Italy in straight sets 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 to move one step closer to his 10th major title.

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Next up for Djokovic will be No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, who advanced when No. 14 David Goffin of Belgium, retired in the third set. Goffin's was the 13th retirement in the men's draw this year.

In a five-set, four-hour-plus match, defending champ, Marin Cilic of Croatia beat Mikhail Kukushin of Kazakhstan 6-7(5), 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

Earlier in the day, Venus Williams was a straight-set winner beating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, 6-3, 6-4.

The 35-year-old Williams, the oldest woman in the tournament, next will face Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit, who ended American Madison Brengle's run at the Open.

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