Nadal faces Del Potro for seat in final; Djokovic vs Nishikori

NEW YORK (AFP) — World number one and defending champion Rafael Nadal will put his weary body on the line against a merciless Juan Martin del Potro on Friday with a place in the US Open final at stake.

Nadal, the three-time champion, faces 2009 winner Del Potro and is two wins from clinching an 18th Grand Slam title.

That would be just two behind Roger Federer and with an 11-5 career head-to-head advantage over the giant Argentine, he would usually be a comfortable favorite.

But this has been an unpredictable US Open with Federer knocked out by Australian world number 55 John Millman in the fourth round and Nadal coming close to joining his greatest rival at the exit door.

Whoever gets through Friday will have yet another major challenge on their hands in Sunday’s final where either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori will await.

The 32-year-old Nadal needed four hours and 49 minutes to get past Dominic Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) in an epic quarter-final which concluded at just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, two-time US Open champion Djokovic will be playing in his 11th consecutive semi-final in New York, just two months after defying the odds to lift a 13th major at Wimbledon.

The 31-year-old Serb holds a 14-2 advantage over Nishikori including wins at Wimbledon and Rome this year.