Rafa reaches deep to vanquish Thiem in five-set thriller

NEW YORK - Rafael Nadal began his US Open quarterfinal as poorly as possible, shut out in a set by a 6-0 score for only the fourth time in 282 career Grand Slam matches.

On the previous three occasions, he lost. On this one, he managed to tap into his reserves and rebound to win - after 4 hours, 49 minutes.

The defending champion and No 1 seed at Flushing Meadows recovered from his disastrous start and other stumbles along the way to beat No 9 Dominic Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) for a semifinal berth at a third consecutive Grand Slam, winning a physical, back-and-forth slugfest that concluded shortly after 2 in the morning.