Juan Martin del Potro was able to conserve energy in progressing to the last eight of the US Open as Dominic Thiem retired through injury.
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A backhand into the net followed by a forehand that expired into the tape gave del Potro the first break of the second set for 2-1.
He was also playing in a season-leading 70th match of the season and 21st tournament, a gruelling schedule which finally caught up with him on Arthur Ashe Stadium.Should del Potro make the semi-finals he would be the lowest-ranked man to do so at a Grand Slam since 237th-ranked Vladimir Voltchkov at Wimbledon in 2000.
It was at Flushing Meadows where Del Potro won his only Grand Slam title at the age of 20 in 2009 and he can now look forward to a last-eight match – his first at a major since Wimbledon 2013 – against Stan Wawrinka.
He has fought long and hard, coming back from injuries and surgeries. “And hopefully I can go far in this tournament because I love this atmosphere and I love the crowd and I love to be here in NY”.
Del Potro got a huge break on Monday when he spent only 72 minutes on court.
Simona Halep cruised in straight sets – 6-2, 7-5 – over Carla Suarez Navarro Monday and feels like she is playing with house money in her quarterfinal versus Serena Williams. Sometimes it bothers me a little bit but I can deal with that.
Del Potro recalled in his on-court interview after Monday’s match how sad he was to watch the U.S. Open on TV, stuck at home the last two years. “There’s a great connection between the US fans and Argrentina fans”, said del Potro who was handed a wildcard for the US Open after winning the silver medal at the Olympics. Dimitrov broke only once in the match in the fourth game of the second set but it was a brief respite as Murray quickly reclaimed it before taking 10 of the next 12 games to seal the rout. He will play third-seeded Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals, with a potential meeting against Murray in the semifinals.
In fact, last year he played only four matches and the year before just 10.
The third seed will have to be at his best against del Potro as the world number 142 has been in rich vein of form since his comeback from wrist injuries that have haunted his career. After falling behind 3-2, he took a medical timeout, came back to the court and lasted just one point before retiring.
“I made a lot of returns off first and second serves and was happy with my return game today”, Nishikori said.
He proceeded to win the next four games to regain control on the way to a 6-4 6-1 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 victory. But a knee is something where you shouldn’t try out too much, ” Thiem said, who said he will get an MRI exam.
Del Potro burst into laughter and replied: “I only remember the finals against Roger, and he’s not here”.
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The Czech’s next foe is a fellow first-time grand slam quarterfinalist with a hefty serve, Ana Konjuh, who upset Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4 after losing a heartbreaker to the Pole – wasting three match points – at Wimbledon.
