Dennis Ethan: How on earth does Mayer guy serve blockbusters consistently on big points?

Oh that's such a good shot from Mayer, down the line when he looked to have been muscled out of the rally.

Nadal responds with a fine overhead smash for 15-15, before a Mayer backhand into the net puts him ahead.

The world number one holds relatively quickly while his box look a tad tense.

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Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Flushing Meadows

Mayer has done a heck of job to come through his most demanding service game.

He was very smart hitting the last two second serves into the body of Nadal.

Advantage Mayer, courtesy of another body serve - and he holds as the Nadal forehand finds the net! It's taken him 13 minutes, but the Argentine has saved three break points and held his serve.

How important a game could that be?

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Leo Mayer's not budging here.

His second serve goes flying into Nadal's body and the Spaniard flaps his racquet at it to send us back to deuce.

Another big serve from Mayer, this time to the left of the court, and Nadal can't get his racquet onto it.

Oh, Nadal takes a step in and cracks a spinny backhand winner beyond Mayer.

And now break point number three, as a cross court winner from Nadal goes past Mayer!

Eurgh. Mayer gets his backhand drop shot all wrong, floating the ball into the net, and Nadal has another break point.

And, er, Mayer crashes a serve out wide to save the second break point. We're into the ninth minute of this game.

Mayer composes himself, pushes Nadal deep, and draws the error out of the Nadal forehand. Back to deuce we go.

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Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Flushing Meadows

It seems a rough call to give him a time violation.

Break point Nadal! A backhand from the corner of the court from Mayer goes out - he'd just been handed a time violation by the umpire. Which, considering he's playing Nadal, seems a shade ironic...

Ooft. Big serve down the T from Mayer and a sprawling Nadal sends his return somewhere into the crowd.

We go back to deuce though, a Mayer backhand down the line just spiraling out, and there's a look of annoyance on the Argentine's face.

Nadal's furious with himself as Mayer smashes another winner, but he claws back another deuce as a whippy Mayer forehand goes out.

Mayer sends down what looks like another fine ace, Nadal sticks his hand in the air like he's back at school - and it's out!

That doesn't stop Mayer moving swiftly to 0-30, before he lashes a forehand long to put his opponent on the board.

Another fine volley at the net from Mayer, all delicate touch, and he's so close to a hold, but a double fault comes along to send us to deuce.

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Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Flushing Meadows

Rafa is getting his vamos out. It's the first time he's had the energy of the crowd.

My goodness, is he fired up. You'd expect that towards the business end of the set. He knows he needs to find another gear and this might help that.

There's an almighty roar from Nadal as he snares the advantage, cracking down a big serve that Mayer shanks.

And another vamos from the Spaniard as Nadal slaps a big, booming backhand into the corner of the court and Mayer nets. Nadal will hold.

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First break point is saved as Mayer crashes a forehand into the net.

And the second as a backhand goes long! Deuce.

Leon Smith
Great Britain Davis Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Flushing Meadows

That's big time tennis from Mayer, really taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

You would have thought Nadal would dominate the baseline exchanges but that hasn't been the case.

That's a stunning winner from Mayer! Both men are up at the net, Mayer gets in the forehand, Nadal responds and Mayer volleys a lovely forehand beyond him.

Another ordinary forehand from Nadal finds the net and suddenly he's 0-30 on his serve.

Mayer takes a step in, Nadal still pushing his backhand, and this time the Spaniard finally gets a bit of give as the ball slices just long.

Another error from Nadal, though! Two break points have come Leo Mayer's way...

Gigi Salmon
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra commentator at Flushing Meadows

That is the present for the gentleman who caught that in the corporate box. That is a Nadal shank. You don't see many of those.

A shank to end all shanks from Nadal! He goes for the two-handed forehand, the ball cracks into the top of the racquet and ends up in the hospitality box, where a gentleman takes a one-handed catch.

This is better from Nadal, moving his feet to volley a winner from close to the net. A superb forehand from Mayer, though, squares thing at 30-30.

Eurgh. An ugly forehand from Nadal gets a look of disgust from the Spaniard as it goes over the line, before he nets a backhand to allow Mayer to hold.

Image source, EPA

Everything is coming up Mayer. Two shanked forehands land just on the baseline and in the end it's Nadal who blinks first, blazing a forehand into the net for 30-30.

The Spaniard holds, though. All square.

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