Mission accomplished. Rafael Nadal completed a dominant run to his 16th Grand Slam championship, notching a third US Open title at Flushing Meadows. The top seed defeated Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in Sunday’s final.

In 2013, Nadal entered the US Open at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and would emerge with the trophy. Four years later, history repeated itself. The top-ranked Spaniard prevailed in two hours and 27 minutes over the South African, adding to titles won in 2010 and ’13.

Nadal, who extends his growing lead in the Emirates ATP Race To London to 1,860 points, caps an impressive Grand Slam campaign with his second major victory of 2017 (Roland Garros). The win gives him the upper hand in the fight for year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with Roger Federer.

“It’s been a very special two weeks for me,” Nadal told ESPN in his post-match interview. “But before I talk about me, I want to say congrats to Kevin. He’s a great example for a lot of kids and the rest of the tour to come back better than ever.

“For me, personally it’s unbelievable. After a couple of years with some injury problems, it has been very emotional since the beginning of the season. Since the Australian Open, I’ve been playing a very high level of tennis. Winning here in New York gives me great energy, because the crowd is unbelievable. They make me feel so happy.”

“Rafa is one of the greatest ambassadors in our sport, so congrats to him,” Anderson said in his post-match interview with ESPN. “It’s been an amazing two weeks for me. To make my first final of a Grand Slam has really been special. I can take a lot of positive from this summer. A lot of emotions to deal with. I was up against a pretty good opponent today. I’ll continue working hard to give myself more opportunities. I’ll take it a day at a time and I’m really pleased with how things turned out here.”

Open Era US Open Title Leaders

In total, the resurgent Spaniard has won five tour-level titles this year, the most for him since 2013 when he captured 10. It was also his first hard-court victory since the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha in 2014.

Nadal turned in a ruthless race to the finish against Juan Martin del Potro on Friday and he would carry the momentum on Sunday. Relying on his superior agility from the back of the court and biding his time before attacking with great depth, the Spaniard employed an efficient and clinical gameplan on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

With celebrities Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Seinfeld, Hilary Swank, Tony Bennett, Bill Gates and Tiger Woods in attendance, Nadal broke for 4-3 in the first and never looked back, striking a backhand winner to close out the opener. He would continue to press forward in the second set, slamming aside a volley winner to move ahead 4-2, and opened the third with yet another break.

Nadal raised his arms in triumph on his second match point, moving forward for a serve-and-volley winner. He prevailed after two hours and 27 minutes, firing 30 winners to just 11 unforced errors. He won 16 of 16 net points in total, while not facing a break point.

All-Time Grand Slam Title Leaders

“It has been a great two weeks,” Nadal told the assembled media. “Increasing level of tennis and increasing confidence during that two weeks. I have this trophy with me again here in New York. It means a lot to me. There is no better way to finish the Grand Slam season for me after a very emotional season in all aspects.

“So I’m very happy the way that I played, happy the way that I managed the pressure and the way that I was competing during the whole event. Playing better or worse, the competitive spirit has been there in a very positive way all the time.” 

The victory marks the first time in Nadal’s career in which he has rallied from a set down in three matches en route to a title. He battled hard throughout the two weeks in the Big Apple, coming back to overcome Taro Daniel in the second round, Leonardo Mayer in the third round and del Potro in the semi-finals.

Nadal and Federer have turned back the clock in 2017, combining to divide and conquer the four Grand Slam championships. It marks the fourth time it has happened, in addition to 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Anderson, meanwhile, caps a dream fortnight in reaching his first major final. He became the first South African to reach a Grand Slam title match since Kevin Curren at the 1984 Australian Open. The 31 year old is also the oldest first-time finalist since Nikola Pilic at Roland Garros in 1973.

Anderson is projected to rise to No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, behind victories over home hope Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals and 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the semis. It was his second final of the American hard-court summer, adding to a runner-up result at the Citi Open in Washington.

Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson are battling for the US Open title on a brisk late Sunday afternoon in New York. The top-seeded Spaniard leads 6-3.

With the roof open on Arthur Ashe Stadium, two-time champion Nadal and Grand Slam final debutant Anderson are meeting for the fifth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head. The Spaniard leads 4-0.

Nadal is bidding for his 16th major crown, while the big-hitting Anderson is eyeing his first. The South African is the first from his country in a major title match since Kevin Curren at the 1984 Australian Open.

FIRST SET – Nadal 6-3
Anderson had claimed just one set in four previous meetings against Nadal, but the 31 year old is a much different player than he was in those encounters. Playing more aggressive tennis throughout the fortnight, he looked to pummel his forehand through Nadal’s defences and maintain a high first-serve percentage.

Relying on his superior agility from the back of the court, Nadal conjured a pair of break points at 1-all. A backhand lob return winner landed just inside the baseline as Anderson attacked the net with a serve-and-volley approach. With celebrities Rupert Murdoch, Jerry Seinfeld, Hilary Swank, Tony Bennett and Bill Gates in attendance, Anderson earned a gritty 12-minute hold.

Both players looked to open the court with wide angles, but Nadal’s dogged defence and court coverage refused to allow his opponent to find consistent success from the baseline. Anderson struck 20 unforced errors to Nadal’s four through the first seven games of the match, as the World No. 1 broke for 4-3.

A second break would close out the set after 58 minutes, as a net-charging Nadal struck a backhand winner. He won seven of seven net points in the opener.

DID YOU KNOW?
• Sunday’s champion will be the fifth straight Grand Slam winner 30 & over going back to last year’s US Open where Stan Wawrinka (31) captured the title.

• This is the first US Open final to feature a pair of 30 & over players since 2002 when Pete Sampras (31) defeated Andre Agassi (32).

• The Big Four of Nadal, Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has won 45 of the last 50 Grand Slam tournament titles. Anderson is trying to become only the fourth player to break through and join former US Open champions Juan Martin del Potro, Marin Cilic and Wawrinka during that stretch.

• Kevin Anderson uses the same sports psychologist – Alexis Castorri – as Andy Murray did when the Scot claimed his maiden US Open title in 2012.

The 15th edition of the Aon Open Challenger Memorial Giorgio Messina has turned green with a host of initiatives focusing on healthy living and a clean environment. It’s all part of a long-term project for Valletta Cambiaso Park, home of the tournament in Genova, Italy.

Waste disposal company Esosport has kicked off a project known as “Recycle your shoes, repave your way”, for the collection and recycling of worn-out sneakers. An athletic track surface will be made of the recycled shoes collected at the tournament and in Genova in the past few months.

The theme for the week at the @Aonatp in Genova: #thinkgreen. The #ATPChallenger has taken an environmentally friendly approach. pic.twitter.com/7WIbWb2A3M

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 9, 2017

There has also been a separate collection in the park initiative, whereby the ball kids not on court are out patrolling the park, giving suggestions to spectators on how to separate different kinds of waste. The aim is to recycle the 13,000 plastic bottles of water that are consumed during the tournament. 

A third initiative sees Green Catering, the supplier of the Aon Open Challenger, providing compostable tableware and various organic restaurant offers.

The tournament, which won the Challenger of the Year award in 2014, will wrap up on Sunday with Spanish former No. 23 in the Emirates ATP Rankings Guillermo Garcia Lopez and #NextGenATP Greek player Tstsipas to meet for the title. Garcia Lopez took down three Italians in succession, including Stefano Napolitano in the semi-finals to reach the decider. 

The 19-year-old Tsitsipas advanced to his first ATP Challenger Tour final after No. 8 seed Martin Fucovics, of Hungary, retired with a foot injury during their semi-final. Tsitsipas had earlier beaten top seed Jan-Lennard Struff.