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The former U.S. Open champion raced through the
first set against the world number six but had to battle much
harder to secure the win in a tight second stanza on the outdoor
blue hardcourt.
The victory came in the tiebreak on a Thiem double fault, which
was confirmed after the third seed, with nothing to lose,
challenged the call.
Hawkeye revealed the ball had been a few millimeters long,
sending the enthusiastic pro-del Potro crowd into wild cheering
and applause.
Del Potro, who improved his head-to-head record against Thiem to
4-0, will have little time to savor his victory as he prepares
for Friday's semi-final against second seed Alexander Zverev.
German Zverev, the highest seed still standing after the
pre-tournament withdrawal of Rafa Nadal, earlier dusted American
Ryan Harrison 6-4 6-1.
Kevin Anderson also reached the last four after serving 18 aces
and saving six break points to edge South Korean young gun Chung
Hyeon 7-6(5) 6-4 in a quarter-final that stretched nearly two
hours.
Standing in the South African's path to the final will be
21-year-old unseeded American Jared Donaldson, who won 100
percent of his first serve points in a 6-3 6-1 thrashing of
Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by
Nick Mulvenney)
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