British wheelchair player Alfie Hewett slept on an airport floor as he endured a “horrible experience” travelling to the US Open.

The 20-year-old, who won the men’s doubles title with Gordon Reid last year, began his journey on Monday from St Louis but arrived in New York on Tuesday evening.

“I don’t have injuries but I’m going to feel very stiff sitting in a chair for 26 hours and then the floor,” he said.

It was a horrible experience. When something like that happens you don’t feel like they look after you

“It has messed up my lower body.”

The Norwich player beat world number one Shingo Kunieda in the final of the US Open warm-up event in St Louis, Missouri, before heading to the airport.

His travel problems started when he landed in Chicago to find his American Airlines connecting flight first delayed by problems in New York and then a thunderstorm, before being cancelled.

A second United Airlines flight on Monday night was also cancelled, and he was forced to remain at O’Hare International Airport while he waited for his bags, including his racquets and tennis chair, before being put on a flight to New York early on Tuesday morning.

“They wouldn’t put me up in accommodation,” added Hewett. “I asked if there was an airport hotel, they said no, there was one half an hour away. It was about midnight and I realised I had to be at the airport in four and a half hours anyway.

“I asked where my bags were, they didn’t know. They looked, they were still in the airport but they were going to JFK [New York]. I wasn’t going to JFK any more and they wouldn’t re-route them. The only option I had was to stay in the airport for another two hours to collect them – it was my racquets, chairs, everything.

“So I slept on the floor for about 45 minutes, went to get my bags, then by the time I’d done that and got to the other terminal, it was practically time to check in again.

“It was a horrible experience. When something like that happens you don’t feel like they look after you. I explained my situation but there were lots of other people who needed to be in different places for business meetings and family reasons, so I was just another one.”

Hewett and compatriot Reid begin the defence of their doubles title in the semi-final against Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina and Japan’s Kunieda.

Lucy Shuker takes on South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane in the women’s singles while Andy Lapthorne will be in action in the quad division.

Defending champion Jamie Murray reached a third US Open mixed doubles final with a narrow semi-final victory.

The Briton and his American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat American duo Christina McHale and Christian Harrison in a championship tie-break, coming through 6-4 2-6 10-8.

Murray, 32, will now defend the title he won last year with Martina Hingis.

Earlier on Wednesday, Murray and Bruno Soares were knocked out of the men’s doubles in the quarter-finals.

The 2016 champions and fourth seeds were shocked by unseeded pair Radu Albot and Malek Jaziri, losing 7-5 6-4.

Murray and Mattek-Sands will play Poland’s Alicja Rosolska and Croatia’s Nikola Mektic in Saturday’s mixed final.

“I’m really excited to win – to lose both matches would have been tough,” said Murray.

“But the chance to get into a Grand Slam final again was a big motivation for me and I’m really looking forward to the match.”

• Hewett endures travel misery to get to US Open
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Naomi Osaka reached her first Grand Slam semi-final with a dominant victory over Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko at the US Open.

The 20-year-old dropped just two games winning 6-1 6-1 against her unseeded opponent in 58 minutes.

She becomes the first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Kimiko Date at Wimbledon in 1996.

“I was freaking out inside,” Osaka said. “My entire body was shaking, so I’m glad I was able to play well.”

The Japanese player also explained, during her on-court interview, why she did not celebrate after the winning point.

“The other time I cried a little bit [after the win over Aryna Sabalenka] and there was a lot of people making fun of me,” the Indian Wells champion said.

• Nadal beats Thiem in five-set epic
• Del Potro beats Isner to reach semi-finals
• Williams fights back to reach last four

Both Osaka and Tsurenko were competing in their first Slam quarter-final but the Ukrainian failed to settle and looked physically drained on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Osaka, who is regarded as one of the best young players in the game, broke in Tsurenko’s first service game and powered to the first set in 26 minutes before racing into a 4-0 lead in the second set.

Tsurenko then held serve and brought up three break points in the following game but failed to convert and double-faulted twice in the final game to hand Osaka victory.

The Ukrainian said that poor health meant she was not in peak condition for the match.

“I just woke up with a viral illness or whatever it is,” the 29-year-old said. “I don’t know what happened, but my throat is not well. I’m not breathing well.”

Osaka will play American Madison Keys or Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the last four.

US President Donald Trump has criticised sportswear company Nike following its decision to use Colin Kaepernick as the face of a new campaign.

Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem to highlight racial injustice.

But critics have burned Nike trainers and clothing in protest at the decision to use Kaepernick in a campaign.

“Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts,” Trump said.

“I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?” he added in a tweet.

The president also continued his previous criticism of the NFL, saying: ” As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!”

• #JustBurnIt – Nike suffers backlash over ad campaign
• Williams fights back to reach semi-finals

Trump’s criticism came after tennis star Serena Williams – who is also part of the Nike campaign to mark the 30th anniversary of its ‘Just Do It’ slogan – praised the company’s move.

Speaking after her defeat of Karolina Pliskova in the US Open, Williams called the decision to use Kaepernick a “powerful statement to a lot of other companies”.

Williams said of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick: “He’s done a lot for the African-American community, and it’s cost him a lot.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who is sponsored by Nike, added: “Having a huge company back him could be a controversial reason for this company, but they’re not afraid.

“It’s sad. But he continues to do the best that he can to support.”

After Nike unveiled the campaign, Williams tweeted that she was “especially proud to be a part of the Nike family”.

Critics on Twitter used the hashtag #JustBurnIt – a play on Nike’s slogan ‘Just Do It’ – which trended alongside #BoycottNike.

In announcing the deal, Nike said Kaepernick – who has been out of a contract since March 2017 and has failed to find a new team – was “one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation”.

The NFL said it “embraces the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities”.

Kaepernick, who watched Williams’ third-round win over sister Venus at Flushing Meadows, has filed a grievance against NFL team owners he claims conspired not to hire him because of his protests.

• Kaepernick: From one man kneeling to a movement dividing a country

Defending champion Rafael Nadal dug deep to win the longest match of this year’s US Open in a classic five-set quarter-final against Dominic Thiem – which finished at 2:03am local time.

World number one Nadal lost the opening set 6-0 after being outpowered by the Austrian ninth seed in New York.

However, the 32-year-old Spanish top seed recovered to lead two sets to one before Thiem levelled in a tie-break.

Nadal edged a tense fifth-set tie-break to win 0-6 6-4 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5).

The 17-time Grand Slam champion clinched victory when Thiem hit an overhead smash long on the first match point, the drama continuing until the last shot in an epic encounter lasting four hours and 49 minutes.

Nadal jumped over the net to console his Austrian opponent at the end, the pair embracing as those left inside Arthur Ashe Stadium rose to their feet to give them a thunderous ovation.

“I said to Dominic: ‘I’m very sorry and keep going.’ He has plenty of time to win. He will have his chances in the future without a doubt,” Nadal said.

Asked about how got through the tense moments, Nadal added: “Suffering is the right word. It was a great battle.”

He will play Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion, in Friday’s semi-finals.

“It is good to have two days that probably give me the chance to be 100% in the semi-finals,” Nadal added.

• Del Potro beats Isner to reach semi-finals
• Williams fights back to reach last four
• Federer needs to play more tournaments – Cash
• Djokovic targets 12th US Open semi-final

Thiem fails to gain revenge

Thiem was aiming to earn a measure of revenge over Nadal, who dismantled his game for a straightforward victory in the French Open final in June – the Austrian’s only appearance in a Grand Slam showpiece.

Ultimately, he faced more disappointment against one of the sport’s all-time great fighters.

Eventually Nadal’s endurance came out on top in this match, which was his 17th at a Grand Slam to go past the four-hour mark.

In contrast, 25-year-old Thiem had never previously gone past the four-hour mark in his whole career.

Neither player outwardly showed signs of fatigue as they continued to trade blows deep into a high-octane match.

Stylish and powerful winners continued to flow from the racquets of both players until the end, despite the match entering an energy-sapping fifth hour in hot and humid conditions at Flushing Meadows.

Despite the drama, the 24,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium was only about a third full when the match concluded under the lights, with many fans needing to leave early to get home.

Those who were left were treated to a tense final-set tie-break, which proved to be a fitting end to a great match.

“This match is going to be stuck in my mind forever – tennis is cruel sometimes,” Thiem said.

“This match didn’t deserve a loser, but there has to be one.”

Nadal ultimately digests rare ‘bagel’

Thiem has gained a reputation as one of the most powerful players on the men’s tour, with Nadal identifying his thunderous groundstrokes as the danger before their last-eight tie.

And Thiem came out swinging against Nadal in a 24-minute opening set which left the packed crowd inside Ashe stunned.

Nadal had faced two gruelling matches against Karen Khachanov and Nikoloz Basilashvili coming into the quarter-final, and Thiem was keen to test his energy levels from the start.

Potent off both flanks, Thiem hit 13 winners and fired down five aces to comprehensively win the first set.

Nadal won just seven points as he was ‘bagelled’ for the first time at the US Open since a second-round defeat by American second seed Andy Roddick in 2004.

Thiem’s comeback in vain

After that aggressive start, the question was whether Thiem could sustain his intensity over a longer period.

Thiem refused to entertain a different tactical approach and continued to go for broke – a risk and reward strategy which, although he did maintain, ultimately did not pay off in the cruellest of circumstances.

Nadal rediscovered his service game in the second set, levelling by going on to take two of three straight breaks at the end of the set as both players wobbled.

In the periods where Thiem’s powerful groundstrokes were finding their target, Nadal was in trouble.

But more unforced errors were beginning to creep into Thiem’s game – and at crucial times.

He showed both brilliance and naivety in a tight fourth set where he twice fought back from 40-15 down on serve and won just one of seven break points, eventually taking the tie-break to force a decider.

Thiem twice more had to recover from break-point deficits on his serve in the fifth, deservedly taking the match to the sudden-death finish it deserved.

Thiem won 171 points in the match, five more than Nadal, and hit 74 winners compared to 55 by the Spaniard.

“If we skip the first set it was an open match from beginning to the end,” Thiem added.

“Then it ends up in the fifth set tie break and he made one more point than me.”

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