Nadal excellently won the 16th Grand Slam

The final Grand Slam title of the year went to the Spaniard after he beat Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

This is Rafael Nadal's second Grand Slam title this year, after winning the Roland Garros championship. Winning the US Open for the third time, Nadal continues to chase Roger Federer in the number of Grand Slam titles (16 titles) after the Swiss "Express Train" reached the milestone of 19 major titles with the Australian Open and Wimbledon championships this year.

"What happened this year is unbelievable. After years of trouble with injuries, sometimes not playing well, this season, from the beginning, brought a lot of emotions," said Nadal.

Nadal took just two hours and 27 minutes to finish the one-sided final against his South African opponent. Similar to the final sets against Del Potro, the world number one displayed an uncompromising style of play, dominating the space and putting pressure on his opponent throughout the match.

He lost only 15 points in his service games, never faced a break point and won all 16 points at the net. At 6ft 7in, Anderson is the tallest player ever to reach a Grand Slam final. The 31-year-old's game relies on his serve. Anderson leads this year's US Open in aces (114).

Nadal's happy moment after winning. Photo: Reuters

But against Nadal's impeccable defense and movement, Anderson's weapon was useless. He struggled in the first service games. In game seven, Nadal broke first to lead 4-3 and won his opponent's next service game with a beautiful backhand volley to seal the set.

Anderson felt he had to avoid hitting the ball long against his opponent. But when Nadal's serve failed to overwhelm him, the world No. 32 was forced to come to the net more often in the hope of closing out the rallies. However, Anderson only hit eight winners from 19 attempts at the net in the first set.

The story repeated itself in the second set, with Nadal having no trouble in his service games and calmly waiting for his opponent to make mistakes. A volley into the corner gave the Spaniard a crucial break point in the second set and a 4-2 lead. Nadal quickly won the ninth game, with a cross-court forehand, to extend the gap to 2-0.

The height advantage could not help Anderson cause trouble for Nadal. Photo: Reuters

The third set was tougher for the 2010 and 2013 champion, but early breaks kept him in control. The match ended quickly, as if the outcome was a foregone conclusion, with both players only showing off their final shots to the delight of the crowd.

Anderson had 10 aces to Anderson's one in the match, but Nadal was the more effective in the service games. The winners were fairly even, with Nadal having 30 to Anderson's 32. But Nadal only made 11 unforced errors, compared to Anderson's 40.

Nadal didn't just dominate in the final. This year's US Open was a tournament that saw him dominate after returning to the world number one spot. Winning the final Grand Slam tournament puts Nadal in a good position to finish the year as number one alongside Federer.

Nadal won his third US Open title in convincing fashion. Photo: Reuters

This year's US Open is Nadal's last Grand Slam with his uncle Toni Nadal. Carlos Moya will be the Spaniard's sole coach from 2018.

"I can't thank Toni enough for what he did for me. Maybe, without him, I would never have played tennis. It's great to have someone like Toni always pushing me to practice," Nadal said of his uncle.

Anderson's first Grand Slam final appearance will see him rise to No. 15 in the world when the ATP rankings are updated early next week. Anderson is the first South African to reach a Grand Slam final since Kevin Curren at the Australian Open in 1984.

According to VNE