Ruthless Nadal downs Del Potro

“He is a very dangerous player with a big serve and plays very well on this surface. I have known him since we were 12.

“He’s had many injuries but the way he has come back is a great example to the kids.”

Del Potro, who saved two match points against Dominic Thiem in a last-16 tie from which he almost retired with illness, gained the only break of the first set in the fifth game off a fortunate net cord.

However, few would begrudge Del Potro a little luck after he was pushed to the brink of retirement by four wrist surgeries that saw his ranking slip as low as 1,045 and forced him to miss 10 Grand Slam tournaments.

Nadal hit back, gathering three breaks to take the second set in just 26 minutes as the Argentine suffered a power cut of staggering proportions.

The Spaniard, watched by Tiger Woods in his player’s box, then raced into a 3-0 lead in the third before Del Potro stopped the rot, having lost nine games in succession.

The Argentine saved two set points in the eighth game but Nadal soon wrapped it up at the next time of asking, pushing his opponent into desperate defense before the delivering the killer blow into an open court.

Nadal, beaten by Del Potro at the same stage in 2009, tightened the noose with two breaks for 4-1 and easy hold for 5-1.

It was all over in the eighth game when Nadal buried unleashed a backhand winner.

“I’m angry to lose a chance like this, but maybe tomorrow I will be calm and see how big the tournament was for me,” said Del Potro.

Anderson, 31, will attempt to become his country’s first Slam champion since Johan Kriek at the 1981 Australian

Open.

US OPEN