Ailing Del Potro escapes brink to beat Thiem
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[September 05, 2017]
By Julien Pretot
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An ailing Juan
Martin Del Potro came back from the brink of defeat to beat Austrian
sixth seed Dominic Thiem 1-6 2-6 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4 and reach the last
eight of the U.S. Open on Monday.
Del Potro, the 2009 champion who will next face Roger Federer, saved
two match points in the fourth set of what was arguably the best of
the tournament so far.
"Oh my God, I don't know (I won). What can I say after a battle like
this. I was sick the last two days and I just tried to improve game
after game," 24th seed Del Potro, who took a pill near the end of
the opening set, said on court.
"I fought like this because of you guys, so thank you very much," he
added in reference to the noisy Argentine fans who had turned the
Grandstand Arena into a raucous soccer-stadium like atmosphere.
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"The crowd was on his side. But it was a great atmosphere," said
Thiem. "I mean, we're not playing every day in an atmosphere like
this."
Del Potro struggled early on, spraying the court with unforced
errors and the Argentine called the doctor twice.
At 5-0, he took a tablet. He won one game and had two break points
at 5-1 but Thiem, who was looking to book his spot in the last eight
here for the first time, coolly closed out the set.
He raced to a 4-0 lead in the second as Del Potro looked completely
out of sorts.
The 'Dominator' was in full control, dictating the play with deep
forehands, and he sealed the set with a cracking backhand winner
down the line.
The question was then whether Del Potro would retire.
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![](../images/090517pics/sports59.jpg)
Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina reacts to a won point during his
fourth round match against Dominic Thiem of Austria. REUTERS/Andrew
Kelly
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But the Argentine found his range with his impressive
wristy forehand. His opponent could not keep up the pace and Del
Potro easily pulled one back.
The real fight started in the fourth set.
Del Potro broke for 2-1 but Thiem played tighter and broke
immediately back. A delightful backhand winner earned him another
break for 4-2 and the Austrian served for the set at 5-3.
He led 30-0 but lost his focus and scooped a forehand long to allow
Del Potro back in the contest.
Thiem had two match points at 6-5 but Del Potro saved them with
consecutive aces -- one of them at 204 kph.
In the resulting tiebreak, Thiem suffered a meltdown and Del Potro
leveled with a gravity-defying crosscourt forehand winner.
The decider was tightly contested but Del Potro eventually had the
last word. On the second match point, he challenged Thiem's second
serve and was spot on as the ball was out, meaning the wiry
Argentine got to fight another day.
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury) [© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
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