Nadal squanders two-set lead in defeat to Fognini

Rafael Nadal won't be adding to his 14 Grand Slam titles this season after the 29-year-old Spaniard lost in the third round of the US Open to the mercurial Italian Fabio Fognini.

Fabio Fognini is the first Italian in the US Open fourth round for 10 years. Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports

The former world number one identified a place in the men's season ending championships as his main objective for the 2015 season.

The target emerged on Saturday in the wake of the eighth seed's defeat in five sets.

The 28-year-old Italian overcame a two-set deficit to beat the 2010 and 2013 champion after nearly four hours of enthralling tennis.

Nadal took the first two sets 6-3 6-4 but then Fognini - renowned on the circuit for his unpredictability - clicked into extravagant mode. The 32nd seed claimed the third 6-4 before taking the next two sets 6-3 and 6-4.

It was Nadal's earliest US Open exit in 10 years. It was also the first time since 2004 that Nadal has failed to win a Grand Slam title.

"It was an incredible match to come from two sets down against Rafa, who is one of the best players in the world," said Fognini, who had never beaten a top 10 opponent on hard courts in 17 attempts.

But then the Italian has been Nadal's bete noire this season. He beat him in clay court tournaments in Rio and Barcelona. However, Fognini lost in the final to Nadal at Hamburg just after Wimbledon.

"After the first two sets, I said: 'OK, just concentrate, keep trying and anything can happen.' The fifth set was really difficult for both of us," Fognini said.

It was Nadal's 15th loss of what by his standards is a terrible year. He has beaten only two top-10 players and has only reached the last eight at the Australian and French Opens.

"The only thing this means is I played worse than the last 10 years," reflected Nadal. "That's the real thing. By the way, for me it was amazing to win 10 years in a row a Grand Slam.

"You can imagine how difficult it is to make that happen. I have to accept that it was not my year and keep fighting till the end of the season to finish in a positive way for me.

"I am not playing terrible like I was at the start of the season. When I am losing, I am losing because the opponents beat me, not because I lose the match, as I did a lot of times at the beginning of the season. That's an improvement for me, so I have a base now. That is a start. I know what I have to do and I am going to work on it."

Fognini becomes the first Italian in the last 16 at the US Open since Davide Sanguinetti in 2005, and will face Spain's Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals.