Thursday 7 September 2017

del Potro slays Federer

Well Roger Federer will not be playing Rafa Nadal in this years US Open.


Rafa did his part, dismantling teenager Andrey Rublev in ruthless fashion, wasting just five games in the process.

Apart from the opening sets he lost to Taro Daniel and Leonardo Mayer in early matches, Nadal has not lost a set in the tournament. In the sets won he has captured 91 games and lost 37.

Rublev was the receiver of a Nadal clinic, the Spanish number one seed winning 22 points out of 31 on the Russian serve and breaking 7 times from 18 opportunities created.


Roger was outplayed by the one who denied him a sixth US Open title in 2009 - Juan Martin del Potro.

del Potro, seeded 24, had, only two days prior, mounted one of the best comebacks seen in Grand Slam tennis in the fourth round.  Many thought that this five set effort would place him at Federer's mercy, the Swiss number three seed only taken to three relatively basic sets by Kohlscheiber.


The Argentine was deaf to the experts as he wielded his lethal forehand from the outset.

No break points in set one though until Federer served at 5-5.  At 30-15 two Argentine winners, plus a Swiss double fault, gave the break to del Potro and he converted it into a 7-5 set win.


Not to be denied, Federer came alive in set two, breaking the 24th seed unexpectedly in the fourth game due mainly to unforced errors off the South American racquet.

Levelling at a set all, most pundits picked Federer to continue his momentum and take out the match.


But no, this was the night for Juan Martin.  He raced through the first three games before Roger evened things and it was 4-4.  A tie break eventuated where Roger opened a 3-1 lead.

Four set points were saved by del Potro and at 9 points to 8 the Argentine converted his first to take a two sets to one lead.


In a brilliant fourth set, del Potro hit 12 winners (the same as Federer) but only spent one unforced error compared with ten from the Swiss great.

On his serve del Potro won 20 of 23 points, leaving Federer with virtually no room to seriously challenge.

One break was enough, and it arrived in the fifth game.

Juan Martin del Potro is in the semi final with Rafa Nadal thanks to a wonderful 7-5 3-6 7-6 (8) 6-4 victory


Coco Vandeweghe (20) did two things - she defeated last years finalist and top seed Karolina Pliskova in a classy display, and in doing so confirmed the climb of Garbine Muguruza to the world number one ranking.


The match was full of exciting tennis, started on most occasions by the American.  

A service break apiece led to a tie break and Coco controlled it to 5-2 but two errors gave Pliskova a chance.  Two errors from the Czech racquet donated the set to Vandeweghe.

Serving machine Pliskova only managed the one ace for the set.


Broken in the fourth game of set two, Pliskova fought back and broke back, only to lose serve again for 2-4.  

Coco Vandeweghe became the third American in the semis, winning. 7-6 (4) 6-3.


Madison Keys locked the door on any other nation making the semis after her quality victory at the expense of Kaia Kanepi in the quarter final.

Straight sets was always the requirement and it was delivered in kind 6-3 6-3.


Keys will play Vandeweghe in one semi final as a result.

Venus Williams had already booked a semi final with Sloane Stephens.


So either Williams will win her eighth GS title or there will be a debut GS champion, the third for 2017.


Rafa Nadal will win his 16th GS title, or Juan Martin del Potro his second, or there is the unlikely possibility of Kevin Anderson or Pablo Carreno Busta taking out their first.

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