LAZARUS-LIKE: DEL POTRO RISES FROM THE DEAD TO STUN THIEM IN U.S. OPEN FIVE-SET THRILLER

Written by: Staff on 4th September 2017

LAZARUS-LIKE: DEL POTRO RISES FROM THE DEAD TO STUN THIEM IN U.S. OPEN FIVE-SET THRILLER

epa06184268 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina hits a return to Dominic Thiem of Austria on the eighth day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 04 September 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/RAY ACEVEDO |

By Ricky Dimon

There he goes again.

Juan Martin Del Potro, who–when healthy–churns out instant classics like clockwork, was up to his usual tricks at the U.S. Open on Monday evening. This one, however, may have been even more improbable than all the epics before it.

Despite resembling “death” on Sunday and again on Monday, Del Potro overcame illness and a formidable foe in Dominic Thiem to prevail 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 in a memorable fourth-round contest that lasted hours and minutes.

Commentator Darren Cahill said that the Argentine “looked like death” when he practiced during his off day in between a straight-set demolition of Roberto Bautista Agut and Monday’s title with Thiem. Del Potro played like it, too, for two sets against the sixth-seeded Austrian.

But a raucous Grandstand crowd was not about to let the 2009 U.S. Open champion go away quietly even after he fell behind two sets after just one hour and 13 minutes. Raising his energy and his game not a moment too soon, Del Potro broke serve right away in the third and raced away with the set while dropping only one game.

Thiem all but threw away the middle set with errors galore, but he also picked up his level to make for a wildly entertaining final two frames. The 24-year-old came within one point of victory twice only to see Del Potro fight off a pair of match points at 5-6 with aces. It was Thiem’s turn for clutch play when he–after getting crushed in the fourth-set tiebreaker–battled out of a 0-40 hole to hold for 3-3.

Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina celebrates after defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria on the eighth day of the US Open Tennis Championships at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 04 September 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO

In the end, Del Potro completed his unbelievable comeback with a break at 5-4. It ended unceremoniously, with a Thiem double-fault at ad-out.

“I [played] one of the epic [matches] of my career here in the U.S. Open, which is my favorite tournament, in front of a great crowd,” Del Potro said. “That’s what I did with my hands, looking the sky (after I won). But I’m so glad to go through. [I played] a fantastic battle against one of the best players of the tour.”

“It was a great atmosphere,” Thiem commented. “I mean, we’re not playing every day in an atmosphere like this…. Of course the crowd was on his side. It was very loud; obviously way more for him. But still, I like sports where there’s a great atmosphere, so I enjoyed a lot to play out there today.

“The crowd was not unfair at all. It didn’t affect me. I was really pumped to play in front of a packed Grandstand. I mean, I really liked it. I enjoy more to play in a packed stadium–even if it’s more for the opponent–than in front of 500 people where everybody is cheering for me.”

Del Potro won’t have quite as many fans cheering for him on Wednesday. Why? Well, hit next opponent is none other than Roger Federer.