US Open 2018: Three talking points from Day 9

2018 US Open - Day 9 — Nadal was obviously a relieved man at the end of the epic

#3 Third US Open semi-final for Del Potro

2009 champion and World No. 3 Juan Martin Del Potro faced an inspired John Isner, a pro-American crowd and sweltering conditions but they were not strong enough to unsettle the Argentine. Del Potro emerged a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 winner at the end of the 3-hours-31-minutes match that also saw the two men get a 10-minute reprieve from the heat after the third set.

The heat and humidity has been a problem for most of the players in New York for the past week. On Day 9, Del Potro showed that he was better prepared physically and mentally to tackle the conditions while the lanky Isner kept doubling over to catch breath.

Heat played a big role in the outcome of this match as Del Potro returned from the heat break, looking rejuvenated and far more motivated. It got reflected in his game when he grabbed a couple of breaks in the fourth set to seal the win.

One stat that was noteworthy was that the Argentine was never broken in this match, further establishing how smartly he served.

The reward that Del Potro got for the victory was a semi-final showdown with none other than Nadal. The two have been having frequent meetings at the Majors for the past one year, having locked horns thrice in the past four Slams.

A year after losing to Nadal in four sets in the semi-finals and also after stretching the Spaniard to five gruelling sets at Wimbledon quarter-finals this year, can Del Potro finally crack the Nadal code?

About the author

Sudeshna is a veteran Indian Sports and International Tennis journalist as well as editor at Sportskeeda. She has an overall experience of over 10 years with top publications like The Bridge, Fox Sports Asia, and gained a keen interest in Indian sports since the 2002 Commonwealth and Asian Games when she was in school.

Sudeshna holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She attends tournaments regularly and being a highly experienced journalist, she ensures she only contacts the correct people from her network for the most authentic information to be put in her articles.

Sudeshna’s favorite Indian athlete is PV Sindhu owing to her big-tournament performances. She also admires Tennis legend Rafael Nadal for his resilience and has witnessed the Spaniard in action at the French Open, due to which, Roland Garros is her all-time favorite Grand Slam tournament.

Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made a lasting impact on Sudeshna. She has also interviewed him along with Badminton star Chirag Shetty and several other sports personalities. She has done on-ground reporting on multiple ITF tournaments along with the Premier Badminton League, Asian Boxing Championships and the Davis Cup.

When not using her skills and years of experience in crafting compelling content, Sudeshna likes to read, watch movies and travel.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee