Weary Nadal set for Del Potro barrage

New York – 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 headto-head advantage over the giant Argentine, he would usually be a comfortable favourite.

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 quarterfinal which concluded at just after 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

Now, in his seventh semifinal at the US Open, Nadal is braced for another marathon with Del Potro, the third seed.

In July, Nadal came back from two sets to one down to beat Del Potro in the Wimbledon quarterfinals after four hours and 48 minutes.

A month earlier, Nadal had cruised past del Potro in straight sets in the semifinals at Roland Garros on his way to an 11th title in Paris.