NADAL SAYS ‘SORRY’ FOR DENYING THIEM IN EPIC US OPEN CONTEST
▶ World No 1 sets up Del Potro clash after rallying from a bagel opening-set loss to enter seventh semi-final
Defending champion Rafael Nadal survived an epic US Open confrontation to defeat Dominic Thiem and reach the semi-finals for a seventh time, where he will face Juan Martin del Potro for the second successive grand slam.
In a gripping four-hour, 49-minute contest which concluded at 2.04am yesterday, world No 1 Nadal won through 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 against battling ninth seed Thiem to keep his bid for a fourth title in New York and 18th grand slam crown on track.
However, the 32-year-old Spaniard was fortunate to triumph on another hot and humid night at Flushing Meadows, 24 hours after Roger Federer had been dumped out of the tournament by John Millman.
After suffering a first set “bagel”, Nadal had to battle back from breaks in the third and fourth sets before seeing off the first top 20 player he had faced at the US Open since 2013. “I suffered, that’s the right word,” said Nadal after playing his longest match at the tournament.
“I said to Dominic I am sorry. He’s a great guy, a close friend who will have many more opportunities to win the big titles.
“He has a great attitude and is a great fighter.”
In a dramatic final set, Nadal saw five break points come and go before Thiem went long with a smash on the first match point.
It was his 58th unforced error on a night when he sent down 18 aces and fired 58 winners.
The semi-final will pit Nadal against third seed Del Potro after the Argentine outslugged John Isner 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 after a towering battle in a sweltering Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The three-hour, 31 minute quarter-final was played in suffocating humidity so extreme that officials called a halt to junior matches on the outside courts for more than two hours.
Play continued on Arthur Ashe but with temperatures nudging 37.7°C the stadium was turned into a sauna, leaving the 6-foot-10 American Isner and 6-foot-6 Argentine Del Potro, suffering.
“I weigh 238 pounds, so I have always said it’s pretty difficult to play in hot conditions,” said Isner, who had 11 shirt changes during the match. “I weigh a lot and I sweat a lot.
“It takes its toll on bigger guys, in my opinion. I did not weigh myself, but I can tell you I lost a lot of weight out there.”
Anyone looking for serve and volley came to the wrong place as the pair traded bombs from the baseline with Isner, bidding to become the first American since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach US Open semi-finals, belting 26 aces and Del Potro 14.
Break chances were few and far between, Isner managed just three and was unable to convert any, while Del Potro had 11, cashing in on three, including one to close out the match.
It was enough to see Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, through to the last four for a third time. “I think I played very solid this game,” Del Potro said. “In particular I made good returns every service game.
“I saw John a little bit tired also. That’s give me a little bit more energy to keep trying. I don’t know if I’m playing my best tennis ever but I’m feeling good. I reach another semi-finals in this grand slam, which means big to me.”
Nadal and Del Potro last met at Wimbledon, with the former coming back from two sets to one down to win in five in a quarter-final which stretched to almost five hours.