Nadal took just 96 minutes to beat his 19 year-old opponent by 6-1 6-2 6-2.
The Spaniard, a 15-time Grand Slam champion, will have his first US Open match against Roger Federer on Friday if the Swiss 19-time Grand Slam winner can defeat Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in a later semi-final.
To think that in America they were worried about this US Open and its broad appeal, suffering from star absences which included Serena Williams.
Not only have Nadal and Federer survived deep into the tournament but the host nation was last night on the verge of monopolising the women’s singles.
Coco Vandeweghe became the third American woman to make the last four when she knocked out No 1 seed Karolina Pliskova 7-6 6-3, joining Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens in going to the brink of the final.