“I wish Dominic a quick recovery as he has a great future”, said 27-year-old del Potro.
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The victory by the hard-hitting Swiss set up a clash with big-serving del Potro, who won 6-3 3-2 when eighth seed Dominic Thiem of Austria retired with a knee injury.
Del Potro advanced, 6-3, 3-2 (ret.). At 6-foot-11, he set a tournament record with 61 aces in a five-set win in the first round.
When he defeated Nadal in to move into the gold medal match in Rio, a tearful Del Potro told the reporter that his tactics amounted to literally hitting the ball as hard as he possibly could.
At No. 142, del Potro is the lowest-ranked U.S. Open quarterfinalist since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
Shvedova did not put Williams under any stress and failed to even register one break chance the entire match against the 22-times grand slam victor. Only one of them, del Potro, will continue to be compared to Connors this week.
The two-time grand slam victor is not looking too much into del Potro’s run in 2016 but is wary of his opponent’s strong backhand.
Pliskova managed, just barely, to make it to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at age 24. “And I really enjoy to play in this stadium it’s unbelievable for me”.
In the quarterfinals, del Potro’s opponent will be No. 3 Wawrinka, a 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victor against Illya Marchenko.
Del Potro said he was actually close to stepping away from the game for good. His wrist is still recovering and both the matches he plays and the vast treatment he receives between appearances on a tennis court are geared towards being ready for next year.
Del Potro, the champion in NY in 2009 but whose ranking at the start of this year’s US Open was down at a lowly 142, last got this far at a major in 2013, when he was a Wimbledon semi-finalist. She could face No. 1 Serena Williams next.
Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori halted Ivo Karlovic’s run in the US Open as he beat the 37-year old swept to a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win.
Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray and the Williams sisters are among those seeking to book their spots in the quarterfinals on Labor Day Monday at the U.S. Open.
Del Potro burst into laughter and replied: “I only remember the finals against Roger, and he’s not here”.
However, Kyle Edmund’s run at the US Open came to an end as world number one Novak Djokovic showed he is back to his best with a 6-2 6-1 6-4 fourth-round win.
Del Potro continued to pressure the young Austrian in the second taking an early break to go up 2-1, Thiem letting out a yelp of pain chasing down a return.
Del Potro also got a visit from the trainer in the first set, for a look at his right arm, but he said he was not anxious about his wrist.
Having saved a match point in an epic triumph over Dan Evans in the last round, third-seeded Wawrinka, a semi-finalist in 2013 and 2015, faces 28-year-old Ukraine journeyman Marchenko.
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Del Potro came onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday and pointed to an Argentine flag in the stands. Every inch of Del Potro’s 6ft 6in frame is geared towards being aggressive, the sound of a proper Del Potro forehand echoing around the stadium like a gunshot, causing gasps and near-screams.
