The 27-year-old who shocked the world in 2009 beating Rafael Nadal and then Roger Federer to win the US Open, has been out of the title hunt in NY after four wrist surgeries until now. The only thing missing from his tale so far at this tournament is a marathon match.
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Del Potro is back in the quarterfinals after Dominic Thiem retired in the second set of their match.
Del Potro, arguably, has the most powerful forehand ever in the men’s game; he ripped one down the line against Austria’s Thiem that drew gasps from the crowd.
Still exhausted after the stunning run to an Olympic silver medal that announced him as a contender again, he got a huge break in spending only 72 minutes on court.
Juan Martin del Potro could add his name to those players, who have super-coaches.
Del Potro was handed an easy passage into the last-eight when Dominic Thiem retired from their encounter midway through the second set while trailing 6-3 3-2.
But first he has to focus on his next match against Stan Wawrinka, who disposed of Illya Marchenko in four sets on Monday.
“I had some problems with blisters and maybe because of the compensation the knee started to hurt”, explained Thiem. Wawrinka, forced to save a match point in the third round, had less trouble Monday despite a third-set wobble.
“I couldn’t bend my knee too much in the last three days so I was handicapped a little bit”, said Thiem.
But all those victories meant a tour-high 69 matches. His surprising U.S. Open run was still alive, all the way to the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows.
That number couldn’t be more deceiving and Del Potro is now the third favourite with many bookmakers to win the title in a weeks’ time, behind only Murray and world number one Novak Djokovic.
The 23-year-old Austrian had needed five sets to beat Australia’s John Millman in the first round and four to get past Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the last 32.
Del Potro won the Open back in 2009, ending top-ranked Roger Federer’s 40-match tournament win streak in a five-set final after beating No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semifinals. On the 25th anniversary of the 174th-ranked Connors’ rousing run to the semis, he’s a win away from that stage at No. 142 in the world. When he faced Steve Johnson in their second-round match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the American number two walked out onto his home court to soul-destroying, barely-audible applause. But the roars he keeps drawing pour down from just about everyone.
Del Potro admitted he was close to retirement a year ago and never thought he’d be back to being a contender so quickly. “I just want to play tennis in front of the big crowds”.
She will be heavily favored to get to 309 against Simona Halep, a 6-2 7-5 victor over Carla Suarez Navarro, in the quarterfinals.
Murray blasted Dimitrov off the court, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours as he slapped nine aces and 28 winners past his 22nd-seeded opponent, who shanked 43 unforced errors. “Physically, I feel strong enough to face her”. The 22-time major champ plays Yaroslava Shvedova later in the day.
Suarez Navarro, seeded 11th, was seeking the sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career.
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It took her a while to finish off this one, despite going up an early break in the third set and leading 4-2.
