DJOKOVIC ENTERS US OPEN FINAL
Nadal retires hurt in semi at Open
New York, Sep 8: Juan Martin del Potro set up a US Open final clash against Novak Djokovic on Friday after defending champion and world number one Rafael Nadal quit his Last Four clash against the giant Argentine with a knee injury.
Third seed Del Potro, the champion in 2009, was 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 ahead when Nadal retired.
Del Potro will now face Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 winner, who reached his eighth final at the tournament and 23rd of his Grand Slam career with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 stroll past Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic boasts a 14-4 lead over Del Potro in a 10-year rivalry, including two wins without dropping a set at the US Open in 2007 and 2012.
Nadal was devastated by having to pull out although he believes he hasn’t suffered any long term damage.
He also retired trailing in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against Marin Cilic in January.
Nadal, bidding for a fourth title in New York and 18th major, had spent the best part of 16 hours getting to the semifinals.
That included almost five hours to defeat Dominic Thiem in an epic quarterfinal which stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The effort took its toll, with the Spaniard twice needing to have his right knee bandaged before calling it a day after the conclusion of the second set.
Nadal’s challenge looked doomed even as early as the first set, as he was feeling the injury after just four games, he admitted.
He needed his right knee strapped after the seventh game before gallantly fighting off two set points in the 10th game, breaking Del Potro who was serving for the set. But the Argentine swept through the tiebreaker, wrapping up the opener after 69 minutes of impressive shot-making.
The Spaniard called a medical timeout after three games of the second set to have the right knee rebandaged.
Del Potro sensed blood and broke for 3-1 as Nadal struggled for movement. He broke again for 5-2 on his way to a two-set lead and eventual victory.
Wimbledon champion Djokovic, playing in his 11th US Open semifinal, claimed a 15th win in 17 clashes against Nishikori.
It was plain sailing for the 31-year-old Serb who is chasing a 14th Slam title to take him level with Pete Sampras on the all-time list. He broke serve four times while an under-par Nishikori saved 13 of the 17 break points he faced and committed 51 unforced errors. Mike Bryan and Jack Sock on Friday became the first men to win the US Open and Wimbledon men’s titles in the same season in 15 years when they defeated Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the final at Flushing Meadows.
The American pair, seeded three, cantered to a 6-3, 61 win over the seventh seeds.
Jonas Bjorkman and Todd Woodbridge were the last pair to achieve the Wimbledon-US Open double in 2003.
Victory also gave Bryan a record 18th major doubles title.
Mike, now with more Grand Slam doubles titles than any man, can pick his partnership next year.
He can go back to twin brother Bob, who expects to return from a hip injury.
Or he can stick with Jack Sock, keeping together a perfect pairing in Grand Slam tournaments.
“I think Bob is maybe the front-runner if he gets healthy,” Mike said.
Sock sure has given him something to think about, though. Mike became the oldest Grand Slam doubles champion in the professional era. Six of his titles, also a record, have come at the U.S. Open.
The first 16 titles came with Bob, who was sidelined. So Mike contacted Sock, a past doubles champion at Wimbledon who wasn’t planning to play this year so he could focus on singles. — Agencies
Sock-Bryan are doubles winners