Rafael Nadal assured a jump past Britain's Andy Murray back into the world number two ranking by advancing to the US Open quarter-finals Tuesday while the Scotsman crashed out in humbling fashion. Spanish third seed Nadal, trying to complete a career Grand Slam with a seventh major title, defeated French 13th seed Gael Monfils 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 to book a spot in the last eight against Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
"He's a very good player," Nadal said. "If I don't play my best it's going to be impossible." Nadal showed no sign of pain after a two-month layoff with knee tendinitis, calling his knees "very good", or from a right abdominal muscle injury that was treated during his third-round victory Sunday over countryman Nicolas Almagro. "I had a few problems but I am in the quarter-finals here for the third time and I'm very happy," Nadal said.
A spectator, camera in hand, ran onto the court moments after the match and reached Nadal to give congratulations before security guards pulled him away. Nearly as shocking as the surprise intruder was Murray's fourth-round exit, the second seed never looking on form as Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
The 22-year-old who was last year's US Open runner-up failed in his bid to become the first British men's Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Cilic will play for a semi-final berth against Argentine sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who fired 22 aces and 44 winners to defeat Spanish 24th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Gonzalez, the 11th seed, advanced past French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. Gonzalez, trying to become the first South American man to win the US Open in 32 years, is 3-6 lifetime against Nadal. Monfils won five of the last six points in the tie-break but was undone by 63 unforced errors. Nadal broke twice to claim the second set, three times including the first and last games to take the third.