A big gap at Open top: Highest 16-seeded men all reach 3rd round at major for 1st time

Top 16 men start 32-0 at US Open

NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal encountered what’s been passing as trouble for the top men at the U.S. Open.

He lost — gasp! — a set. Not a match, mind you. Not even two sets. Just one, solitary set.

Then, though, the No. 3-seeded Nadal righted himself to beat 129th-ranked Nicolas Kiefer 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday night, making the top 16 men at Flushing Meadows a combined 32-0 this week.

How rare is that? It’s never happened: This U.S. Open is the first Grand Slam tournament in the 41-year Open era with every man seeded 1-16 safely into the third round, according to the International Tennis Federation.

“There is a gap,” conceded Jurgen Melzer, who lost to No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 earlier Friday.

That No. 1 Roger Federer would breeze into the third round without dropping a set should surprise no one. He has, don’t forget, reached the semifinals at a record 21 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, not to mention the finals at 16 of the past 17 majors.

That the superiority stretches as far down as it apparently now does is noteworthy.

Nadal and No. 2 Andy Murray are the only members of the top 10 who lost so much as one set through two rounds.

“I can say that there are moments when you start thinking that other guy is so clearly superior to you,” 87th-ranked Paul Capdeville of Chile said after his 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 loss to Murray. “But I never go out to play thinking I will lose beforehand.”

And what is it that separates the very best from the rest?

Murray, Capdeville explained, “has a shot in store for the moments he needs them the most. That’s the difference.”

The excellence at the top has been a developing story in men’s tennis this season.

At the Montreal Masters hard-court tournament in August, the men ranked Nos. 1-8 filled the eight quarterfinal berths — the first time that’s happened at an ATP tournament since rankings were introduced in 1973.

The next week, at the Cincinnati Masters, the top four men made the semifinals.

If upsets don’t happen at events like those two — where matches are best-of-three-sets — they are even more unlikely at Grand Slam tournaments, where men play best-of-five.

“They’re good, of course. That’s why they are top 10,” Melzer said.

And for those trying to pull off an upset, Melzer said, “It is easier to play really well for two sets than it is to do it for three.”

AP Sports Writer Eric Nunez contributed to this report.