<p>Rafael Nadal made his earliest US Open exit in a decade, suffering his first Grand Slam defeat after leading by two sets, while Serena Williams rallied to keep her calendar Slam dream alive.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Spanish eighth seed Nadal, whose 14 Slam titles include the 2010 and 2013 US Open crowns, fell victim to 32nd-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.<br /><br />Nadal had not lost so early on the New York hardcourts since a third-round ouster in 2005 by American James Blake. The 29-year-old left-hander had been 151-0 in Slam matches when leading by two sets.<br /><br />“He played great,” Nadal said. “It’s not that I lost. He wins. I’m not happy but I accept he was better. I didn’t play bad. I fight until the last point. It was not enough.”<br /><br />Fognini imposed seven consecutive service breaks upon Nadal in the fourth and fifth sets, smacking 70 winners past the iconic star in a fantastic effort.<br /><br />Fognini, 32, booked a last-16 date with 18th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who eliminated Canadian 10th seed Milos Raonic 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-3.<br /><br />Nadal lost to Fognini on clay at Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona earlier this year, but had bounced back with a triumph in July’s Hamburg final.<br /><br />It was Fognini’s first win in 18 tries on hardcourt against a top-10 rival and made him the first Italian in the US Open last 16 since Davide Sanguinetti in 2005.<br /><br />Williams stays on course<br />Women’s world number one Williams, meanwhile, battled through mistakes and the tension of her quest for tennis history.<br /><br />Williams fought back to defeat 101st-ranked US compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 and needs only four more triumphs to complete the first calendar Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.<br /><br />The 33-year-old American went to three sets for the 10th time in 24 Grand Slam matches this year and stayed perfect, eight of those fightbacks after first-set defeats.<br /><br />Three-time defending champion Williams, who could reach her first Grand Slam final without facing a top-10 foe, next plays US 19th seed Madison Keys.<br /><br />Djokovic inches close<br />Top-ranked Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to his 10th career Slam crown and third of the year by defeating Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.<br /><br />Djokovic took his 31st win in a row over Italian foes, his 11th from Seppi, since losing to Filippo Volandri in his ATP debut at Umag in 2004.<br /><br />Next up is Spanish 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who advanced when 14th-seeded Belgian David Goffin retired while leading 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 1-3. A Grand Slam record 13 men have retired from matches at this tournament.<br /><br />Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic barely escaped making the earliest exit of any defending champion since Andre Agassi in 1999 before outlasting 56th-ranked Kazak Mikhail Kukushkin 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-1. “It wasn’t easy but I stayed together and got it done,” Cilic said.<br /><br />Cilic next meets French 27th seed Jeremy Chardy, who ousted Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer 7-6 (6) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. <br /><br />Venus Williams, 35, eased sister Serena’s path to the final by ousting the top-rated rival on their side of the draw, defeating 12th-seeded Swiss teen Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4.<br /><br />Sania-Bruno lose<br />Meanwhile, mixed doubles defending champions Sania and Bruno Soares lost 3-6, 3-6 to Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlavackova-Lukasz Kubot in a first round contest lasting 65 minutes.<br /></p>
<p>Rafael Nadal made his earliest US Open exit in a decade, suffering his first Grand Slam defeat after leading by two sets, while Serena Williams rallied to keep her calendar Slam dream alive.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Spanish eighth seed Nadal, whose 14 Slam titles include the 2010 and 2013 US Open crowns, fell victim to 32nd-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.<br /><br />Nadal had not lost so early on the New York hardcourts since a third-round ouster in 2005 by American James Blake. The 29-year-old left-hander had been 151-0 in Slam matches when leading by two sets.<br /><br />“He played great,” Nadal said. “It’s not that I lost. He wins. I’m not happy but I accept he was better. I didn’t play bad. I fight until the last point. It was not enough.”<br /><br />Fognini imposed seven consecutive service breaks upon Nadal in the fourth and fifth sets, smacking 70 winners past the iconic star in a fantastic effort.<br /><br />Fognini, 32, booked a last-16 date with 18th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who eliminated Canadian 10th seed Milos Raonic 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-3.<br /><br />Nadal lost to Fognini on clay at Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona earlier this year, but had bounced back with a triumph in July’s Hamburg final.<br /><br />It was Fognini’s first win in 18 tries on hardcourt against a top-10 rival and made him the first Italian in the US Open last 16 since Davide Sanguinetti in 2005.<br /><br />Williams stays on course<br />Women’s world number one Williams, meanwhile, battled through mistakes and the tension of her quest for tennis history.<br /><br />Williams fought back to defeat 101st-ranked US compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 and needs only four more triumphs to complete the first calendar Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.<br /><br />The 33-year-old American went to three sets for the 10th time in 24 Grand Slam matches this year and stayed perfect, eight of those fightbacks after first-set defeats.<br /><br />Three-time defending champion Williams, who could reach her first Grand Slam final without facing a top-10 foe, next plays US 19th seed Madison Keys.<br /><br />Djokovic inches close<br />Top-ranked Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to his 10th career Slam crown and third of the year by defeating Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-3, 7-5, 7-5.<br /><br />Djokovic took his 31st win in a row over Italian foes, his 11th from Seppi, since losing to Filippo Volandri in his ATP debut at Umag in 2004.<br /><br />Next up is Spanish 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who advanced when 14th-seeded Belgian David Goffin retired while leading 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 1-3. A Grand Slam record 13 men have retired from matches at this tournament.<br /><br />Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic barely escaped making the earliest exit of any defending champion since Andre Agassi in 1999 before outlasting 56th-ranked Kazak Mikhail Kukushkin 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-1. “It wasn’t easy but I stayed together and got it done,” Cilic said.<br /><br />Cilic next meets French 27th seed Jeremy Chardy, who ousted Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer 7-6 (6) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. <br /><br />Venus Williams, 35, eased sister Serena’s path to the final by ousting the top-rated rival on their side of the draw, defeating 12th-seeded Swiss teen Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4.<br /><br />Sania-Bruno lose<br />Meanwhile, mixed doubles defending champions Sania and Bruno Soares lost 3-6, 3-6 to Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlavackova-Lukasz Kubot in a first round contest lasting 65 minutes.<br /></p>