KEY POINTS

  • Rafael Nadal is set to take on Frances Tiafoe on Monday
  • Nadal leads 2-0 in the head-to-head against the American player
  • Nadal has won the US Open four times

Rafael Nadal is scheduled to play his Round of 16 fixture of the US Open 2022 Monday in New York.

Nadal, who is chasing a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam, is set to face off against World No. 26 Frances Tiafoe at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 2:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Flushing Meadows, according to Yahoo Sports.

American tennis player Tiafoe and Nadal have played each other twice in the past and both times, it was the Spaniard who topped. Nadal and Tiafoe came face to face in 2019: a quarter-final clash at the Australia Open and Round of 16 clash at Madrid Masters. Nadal sealed both the games in straight sets.

The 36-year-old Nadal is yet to lose a Grand Slam game in 2022, having already claimed two major titles this year: Australian Open and Roland Garros. Overall, the Spanish star has won four ATP titles.

With defending champion Daniil Medvedev eliminated from the US Open, Nadal is among the three players who can become the new No. 1 ATP player after the hard-court tournament ends on Sept. 11. The other two players who are in the race to the top rank are Carlos Alvarez and Casper Ruud.

Second-seeded Nadal is in pole position to finish the year-end as the No. 1 ATP player for the sixth time (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), which would equal him for the second-most year-end number one finishes in history (since 1973) with Pete Sampras.

Nadal, who had to put up a tough fight against Fabio Fognini in his second round where he was left with a bloodied nose, faced no such difficulty against Richard Gasquet in the third round Sunday.

The Spaniard conformably went past the former World No. 7 in three sets 6-0, 6-1, 7-5, marking his 18th win over Gasquet. Nadal has also won 34 consecutive sets against the Frenchman.

Power-packed: Rafael Nadal reacts to a point against Richard Gasquet

After the win over Gasquet, a four-time champion, Nadal, claimed that his performance had improved and he just needs to "keep going."

"My best match in the tournament. Easy to say that because the other day was tough. But, yeah, important improvement. But I need to keep going. It's a good victory for me. Straight sets for the first time. Third set [was] a challenge. He increased the level. I went through some difficult moments. That's something that is good, that I went through that and [was] safe [in those] moments with positive feelings. Happy to be in the fourth round, without a doubt," Nadal said in his on-court interview on Sunday.