Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam title after holding off Russian Daniil Medvedev’s exhilarating fightback in one of the greatest US Open finals.

Spain’s Nadal, 33, won 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 against the fifth seed in New York. Nadal, seeded second, was cruising at two sets and a break up, only for Medvedev to force a decider. But Nadal stopped his momentum to clinch a thrilling win in four hours and 50 minutes – just four minutes shorter than the longest US Open final. Nadal’s victory moves him within one of Swiss rival Roger Federer’s all-time leading tally of men’s Grand Slam victories. “It has been one of the most emotional nights in my tennis career,” Nadal said. “It has been an amazing final. It has been a crazy match.”