NEW YORK — Even if it turns out to be nothing, which Rafael Nadal insists was the case, the frightening scene in his post-match interview Sunday will go down as memorable.
Answering questions in Spanish, Nadal suddenly started grimacing in pain. He tilted his head back, covered his face with his arm. His face twisted in agony as he slid down in his chair, he motioned for help.
After a few nervous moments with the trainers crowded around the table, Nadal popped back up. A simple leg cramp, he insisted.
“It’s bad luck it happened here and not in the locker room,” he said.
But because it did, that was the big news Sunday at the U.S. Open — bigger than Nadal’s straight-set win over David Nalbandian that ended about two hours before the cramping episode, bigger than wins by Americans Donald Young (a surprise) and Andy Roddick (not as much of one).
“I just have cramping in my leg, that’s all,” Nadal said.
His 7-6 (5), 6-1, 7-5 win over Nalbandian was routine, at least as routine as they’ve been going for the defending champion and No. 2 seed through the first week at Flushing Meadows.
Nadal is winning but not steamrolling — serving well, but not dominating the way he did last year. Last year, he lost serve five times in seven matches; this year, he’s lost nine service games in three.
“I was happy about almost everything today,” Nadal said. “I think my movements worked pretty well, and the forehand worked really well, and the backhand too.”
In Louis Armstrong Stadium, No. 26 Flavia Pennetta backed up her victory over Maria Sharapova with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) win over No. 13 Peng Shuai.
Trying to move past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam for the first time, Pennetta will play Angelique Kerber, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Monica Niculescu.
Young, the one-time top-ranked junior in the world, took another step toward fulfilling his vast potential with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 upset over No. 24 Juan Ignacio. Roddick, seeded 21st, defeated Julien Benneteau 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
In key night matches, fourth-seeded Andy Murray moved into the fourth round by beating No. 25 Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and women’s No. 2 Vera Zvonareva beat No. 22 Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 6-3.
