Juan Martin del Potro rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem in a thrilling five-set battle at the US Open on Monday. The No. 24-ranked del Potro needed every last moment of a 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 match to advance to the quarterfinals.
US Open results 2017: Juan Martin del Potro pulls off stunning comeback upset of Dominic Thiem
Del Potro came back from a two-set deficit to knock off Thiem on Monday.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Thiem entered this match looking for the deepest run at the US Open in his career. Instead, he’s out before the quarterfinals yet again with his third Round of 16 defeat in the last four years at this tournament.
Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, seemed to be in big trouble Monday after Thiem took the first two sets in dominating fashion. It seemed like the higher seed would simply go on to victory at that point given how good he looked in establishing his lead.
The match completely swung in the third set as del Potro rolled by losing just one game. His confidence came back in a big way, and with his powerful serve back on his side, the comeback effort was on.
The fourth set proved to be where del Potro showed he had taken over the match. The two players went back and forth during a fierce series of games that concluded with a tiebreak. Del Potro then won six of the next seven points to tie the match and force a fifth set.
Now with the pressure swung onto Thiem trying to stave off a major come-from-behind upset, del Potro went back to work in the fifth set. The final point that decided the match, which Thiem challenged, was about as close as can be:
Now del Potro will go on to play No. 3 seed Roger Federer, who dispatched No. 33 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets to keep alive a run at his first US Open title since winning five straight from 2004-08. It’s a rematch of their epic showdown from the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics.
The men’s quarterfinals of this year’s US Open are surprisingly light on big names. Federer and No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal are on the top half of the bracket, but on the bottom half, you have No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 17 Sam Querrey, No. 28 Kevin Anderson, and No. 29 Diego Schwartzman. If del Potro can somehow make his way to the final, the 28-year-old could have a real shot at his second career major.
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