Nadal dumps Dominic
Defending champ survives an epic quarter-final confrontation to reach seventh semi-final
Defending champion Rafael Nadal survived an epic US Open quarter-final confrontation to defeat battling ninth seed Dominic Thiem 06, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) and reach the semi-finals for the seventh time.
In a gripping 4-hour 49minute contest on Wednesday, world number one Nadal won through to keep his bid for a fourth title in New York and 18th Grand Slam crown on track.
However, the 32-year-old 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 ever 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.”
Nadal had defeated Thiem in the Roland Garros final in June but this was their first meeting away from a clay court. “He has a great attitude and is a great fighter,” added Nadal.
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 74 winners. The semi-final will pit Nadal against third seed Juan Martin del Potro for the second successive Grand Slam.
At Wimbledon, Nadal came back from two sets to one down to win in five in a quarter-final which stretched to almost five hours.
Thiem broke three times in a 24-minute first set, handing Nadal just his third ‘bagel’ at a Grand Slam. The top seed won just seven points in the opener. “I told myself ‘wake up’,” said Nadal.
Nadal recovered from being broken as he served for the second set in the ninth game with an immediate break back to level the contest.
Thiem then grabbed a 4-3 lead in the third which he stretched to 5-3 but then it was his turn to crack as Nadal raced away with three games to claim a two sets to one lead. Thiem was 4-2 ahead in the fourth set before he was again reeled in and he was two points from defeat in the 12th game.
Del Potro in last-four
Del Potro reached the semi-finals for the third time, defeating John Isner 6-7 (5/7), 63, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 and ending American hopes of a first men’s champion at the event since 2003.
Del Potro dropped his first set of the tournament against 11th seed Isner, who was playing in his maiden quarter-final at his home Slam.
Despite that, the 29-year-old was never broken in the 3 hour 31 minute match where Isner unleashed 26 aces but was undone by 52 unforced errors compared to Del Potro’s 14.
“To reach the semi-final again here in New York in my favourite tournament is very special to me,” said Del Potro after his eighth win over Isner in 12 meetings.
“To play John in these kind of matches, it’s like an epic.
“We fought the whole match and I survived with my serve which was key.”
Contenders feel the heat
Weather was a hot topic at the US Open again as players again battled high heat and humidity. A day after Federer’s hopes of a sixth title melted away in a shock loss to 55th-ranked Millman, the US Open’s extreme heat policy was again in effect, allowing a 10-minute break in both men’s and women’s matche on Tuesday night. “I had a shower, lay on the table and I didn’t want to come back again,” Del Potro said of how he spent the break in his victory over Isner.
But the combination of heat, humidity and blazing sunshine was no joke. Junior matches were suspended for several hours when the wet bulb globe temperature measurement — which assesses the effects of heat, humidity, sunlight and wind, exceeded 32.2 C — a level that poses risk of heat stress.
Federer said he felt he “couldn’t get air” in the during his Monday night match against Millman.
“It’s one of the first times it’s happened to me ... (you) just keep on sweating more and more and more and more as the match goes on.”
Federer said he thought such conditions had become more problematic on Ashe since the addition of the retractable roof led to diminished airflow in the 23,000seat stadium.
But players have suffered on all courts — five retiring from heat-related problems in the first round to prompt organizers to implement the extreme heat policy — the first time in Grand Slam history that such a break has been offered during men’s matches.