US Open 2017: Juan Martin del Potro battles from the brink to stun Dominic Thiem in classic
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Updated 05/09/2017 at 04:04 GMT
Juan Martin del Potro saved two match points before beating Dominic Thiem 1-6 2-6 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4 in a classic fourth-round encounter at the US Open.
Juan Martin del Potro, US Open 2017
Image credit: Getty Images
The clash on Grandstand promised much as 2009 champion Del Potro stepped out to face 24-year-old Thiem, but it appeared to be playing out as a non-event with reports suggesting the Argentine was battling against the flu.
But despite dropping the first two sets, Del Potro persevered and worked his way into the match as Thiem’s concentration slipped – breaking the Austrian twice in the third to the delight of his passionate following.
The comeback was seemingly coming to an end in the fourth set, but Thiem failed to serve out for the match at 5-4 before Del Potro saved two match points with a pair of aces.
A one-sided tie-break went the way of Del Potro, and the 24th seed took that momentum with him into the deciding set to seal it 6-4 after three hours and 34 minutes on court.
Del Potro will face Roger Federer for a place in the last four after the 19-time Grand Slam champion downed Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets.
World number eight Thiem survived a break point in the opening game before racing to a 5-0 lead against Del Potro, who failed to convert two break opportunities in the seventh game before the Austrian clinched it 6-1.
The match continued to go Thiem’s way as he broke Del Potro twice to lead 3-0 in the second set, and the world number eight even glanced at his opponent as they headed for the changeover to see if the Argentine was willing to carry on.
Del Potro valiantly soldiered on, and he even brought up three break-point opportunities in the sixth game before Thiem held on before close out the set 6-2.
Something then awoke within Del Potro in the third set, and his first break of the match brought with it a cacophony of noise on Grandstand.
And the break was no fluke either, as Del Potro – who had clearly shaken off his earlier fitness concerns – raced through the set in 31 minutes to clinch it 6-1.
Del Potro then went a break up in the fourth to leave fans dreaming of a decider, but Thiem responded in style, rattling off four games in a row to inch towards victory.
However, the drama was unrelenting as Thiem then failed to serve out for the match, while he went on to miss out on two match-point opportunities in the 12th game as Del Potro saved them with a pair of aces.
Del Potro went on to win the tie-break in emphatic style, and with the final set seemingly heading the same way as the fourth, the Argentine produced the goods to break Thiem and claim one of the finest wins of his career.
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