Nadal ousted by Harris in round of 16 encounter at Citi Open

Rafael Nadal's debut appearance at the Citi Open Washington came to an abrupt end on Thursday night, as the top seed fell to Lloyd Harris in a three-set encounter.

After surviving an opening round scare against Jack Sock, Nadal faced the 14th seeded Harris in a round of 16 matchup. However, the South African played the match of his life to defeat the Spaniard, prevailing with a 6-4 1-6 6-4 victory.

Harris shocked the crowd by taking the first set, fearlessly attacking with heavy groundstrokes. Nonetheless, Nadal regained control by breaking the World No.50 twice in the second set, with Harris looking vulnerable at the beginning of the third.

However, the South African relied on his big first serve to maintain parity in the final set. With Nadal serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Harris reached his first match point. A fantastic forehand lob sealed his victory, as the 24-year old clinched the match after two hours and 10 minutes.

Harris will square off with Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals, as the Japanese star obtained a three-set victory over Cameron Norrie earlier in the day.