Nadal is through to an incredible 23rd career grand slam final. where he will face South Africa’s Kevin Anderson on Sunday afternoon. “An amazing season of course after a couple of years with some problems, injuries, tough moments,” Nadal says in an on-court interview. “It’s been a very emtoional year. … It means everything to be on this amazing court in front of this amazing crowd.”
Since his straight-sets loss to Del Potro in the 2009 US Open semis, Nadal has now won 15 consecutive major semi-final matches.
Del Potro sends a return of a Nadal second serve past the baseline for 15-love, followed by a Nadal forehand winner on the approach for 30-love. Two points from the finish line. Nadal makes an unforced error with the forehand, but he darts forward for a backhand volley winner for double match point. The cell phone cameras go up around the stadium … and he ends it with a backhand winner down the line! Rafael Nadal is back in the US Open final!
Fourth set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 5-2 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Nadal misses a forehand followed by a Del Potro winner for 30-love. Another grueling rally ends when Nadal flicks a volley a few inches past the baseline. He then misses a forehand to give Del Potro the love hold, but now Nadal will try to serve out the match for a spot in the final.
Fourth set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 5-1 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal opens with a smash winner followed by a service winner. Delpo, whose legs look like jelly, dumps a backhand into the net for 40-love. Nadal misses a backhand wide, but closes out the stress-free hold with another overhead winner. Del Potro will now serve to stay in the tournament.
Fourth set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 4-1 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Another unforced error by Del Potro, this one off the backhand, followed by a double fault for love-30. Then Del Potro sends a forehand past the baseline to set up triple break point for Nadal, which would effectively be curtains. Delpo saves the first with a forehand winner, but another ragged forehand sails over the baseline to give Nadal the two-break advantage. The match is but a handshake away.
Fourth set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 3-1 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Del Potro puts a forehand into the net to open. That’s his 35th unforced error of the match, more than twice Nadal’s 17. The Spaniard follows with a service winner followed by an ace for 40-love, then forehand winner for the hold at love.
Fourth set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 2-1 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Del Potro crushes a forehand into the corner that Nadal somehow manages to get a racket on but can’t return into the court. Nadal answers with a forehand winner and the Del Potro next dumps a forehand into the net for 15-30. Gut-check moment for the Argentinian. Then he does the same thing again for 15-40 and it’s a pair of break points for Nadal. He needs only one, punctuating another entertaining rally with a forehand winner, securing the break as his grip tightens on this US Open semi-final.
Fourth set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 0-1 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Del Potro opens with a 125mph service winner, then follows with an overhand smash winner and a 105mph ace. He mixes in an unforced error off the forehand, but Nadal nets a backhand early in the rally on the next point to give the Argentinian the easy hold.
Del Potro hangs in a long backhand-to-backhand rally on the opening point and crushes a forehand winner into the corner for love-15. Crowd goes nuts. Maybe he’s swayed over the neutrals pulling for the underdog but at this point it feels like a Delpo crowd. Nadal then mixes in a serve-and-volley and wins the point with a backhand volley winner. Del Potro then blinks on a baseline rally and puts a forehand into the net for 30-15, but Nadal then sprays a forehand for 30-all. Nervous energy swirling throughout the stadium. A six-stroke rally ends when Del Potro nets a backhand, an unforced error. Another set point for Nadal and this one he converts, putting away a short point with an overhand smash at the net.
Third set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 5-3 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Nadal blinks first in a rally for 15-love, but Del Potro makes a double fault then Nadal pounds a forehand winner and suddenly the Spaniard is two points from the break and the set. Make that one as the Spaniard hits another forehand winner into the open court for double break and set point. Del Potro saves the first with a forehand winner into the corner for 30-40, then the second when Nadal sends a forehand long. A 126mph ace sets up game point, but a loose forehand by Del Potro returns it to deuce. Then Nadal manages to net an elementary volley winner he’s made ten thousand times and Del Potro has game point again. This time he converts when Nadal sends a forehand long. The world No1 towels off and will try to serve out the set, still ahead a break.
Third set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 5-2 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal opens with an unforced error off the forehand and the crowd buzzes at love-15. A grueling rally follows as Nadal runs Del Potro from corner to corner, ending it with a deft drop-shot winner. Then a 116mph serve out wide followed by a pair of scratchy backhands and Nadal holds. Del Potro will serve to stay in the third set after the changeover.
Third set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 4-2 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
A love hold for Del Potro, all on service winners or bang-bang rallies, prompting rapturous ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ chants from the supporters as they try to lift their man back into the set.
Third set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 4-1 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal opens with a double fault but follows with a backhand volley winner. Del Potro mixes in another forehand error but Nadal answers with one of his own for 30-all and Del Potro gets his teeth into a Nadal service game for the first time in a minute. Alas, Nadal dials in a pair of service winners and escapes with the hold.
Third set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 3-1 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Bad, meet worse. Del Potro double-faults then nets a backhand from just inside the baseline for love-30. He looks completely exhausted. Nadal answers with an error, but Del Potro then sends a forehand long for 15-40 and a pair of break-point chances for Nadal. He saves them both, prompting another round of “Del-po, Del-po, Del-po!” chants. Then forces Nadal into an error with a forehand and follows with a 121mph service winner for the much-needed hold, breaking Nadal’s run of nine straight games.
Third set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 3-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal is really dealing now, rattling off three quick points and hardly taking a breath between them. He then caps off the love hold with a forehand winner and that’s nine straight games for the world No1. Just a clinical dismantling with no sign of the first-set Del Potro to be found.
Third set: *Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 2-0 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Del Potro answers an unforced forehand error with big forehand winner for 15-all. But he’s made another unforced error off the backhand followed by a backhand winner by Nadal and all of a sudden Nadal has a pair of break points. Again. And he needs only one, crushing a forehand winner past a motionless Del Potro for a break of serve and his eighth straight game. Just devastating stuff. He’s now hit 26 winners compared to 16 for Delpo.
Third set: Nadal 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal able to get Del Potro on the run again and wins the opening point with a backhand winner, but Del Potro answers with a nifty passing shot over the top for a winner. Nadal follows with a service winner for 30-15, then absorbs a series of haymakers from Del Potro before uncorking a forehand winner for game point. A 92mph second-serve service winner caps the hold and that’s seven straight games for Nadal.
Del Potro wins the first point when Nadal makes an unforced error off the backhand. It’s only the six point Del Potro has won this set. Now Del Potro makes another unforced error off the forehand followed by a forehand winner by Nadal for 15-30. A backhand return winner off a 97mph second serve sets up two break and set points for Nadal. Del Potro saves them both, the first on a 126mph ace and the second on a service winner. Deuce. But a cross-court forehand winner by Nadal from the baseline sets up a third break and set point and this time he converts when Del Potro frames a forehand into the stands. Surely a set to forget for the Argentinian and we’re down to a best-of-three-sets clash for a spot in the final.
Second set: Nadal 4-6, 5-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Del Potro most likely already thinking about the third set. He’s stepping up and taking big cuts but abstaining from extended rallies. An easy hold by Nadal is capped with an overhand smash winner and Del Potro will serve to stay in the second set after the changeover.
Second set: *Nadal 4-6, 4-0 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Del Potro hits a service winner but follows with another unforced error off the forehand for 15-all. He follows with a forehand winner, then is forced into an error on the baseline to give Nadal a pair of break points for a double-break lead. He needs only one, missing badly on another forehand and is in total command here in the second. Del Potro with just one winner in the set after 12 in the first.
Second set: Nadal 4-6, 3-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal rolling now, dictating from the serve and closing out the point with a brute-strength backhand winner. Another forehand winner by Nadal for 30-love. That’s his fourth forehand winner of the set and they’ve all been up the line, making a mockery of my first-set observation that he’s been tentative with that particular shot. Maybe he was reading. A service winner by Nadal makes it 40-love and he closes out the love hold with a 122mph ace.
Second set: *Nadal 4-6, 2-0 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
A promising start for Nadal with a big forehand winner on Del Potro’s serve, the Spaniard fourth winner of the set already. Del Potro forces Nadal into an error, but then makes his first double fault of the match for 15-30, creating the hint of an opportunity for the world No1. He responds with a service winner for 30-all, but then sends a forehand wide and Nadal has his first break-point chance of the night. Lots of shouting from upstairs interrupting Del Potro’s service motion. A short rally ends when Del Potro sends a forehand just long. A break of serve for Nadal and in a game where Del Potro made five of six first serves!
Second set: Nadal 4-6, 1-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal follows a service winner with forehand winner, but Del Potro answers with a backhand winner, showing the strength of a shot that’s been particularly vulnerable since his surgeries. Nadal then hits a forehand winner followed by a backhand volley winner into the open court for the stress-free hold. Just what Nadal needed to start this second set.
Another grueling rally, the longest of the match so far at 27 strokes, ends when Nadal arrives late and sends a backhand into the net. The Spaniard is wary to go up the line with the forehand and it showed there. Del Potro follows with a forehand winner and he’s two points from the set, but he makes an unforced error off the forehand and it’s 30-15. A moth seems to be troubling Nadal and a ballboy is out to retrieve it to the delight of the crowd. But, shoot, no time for low-stakes sitcom hijinks at 5-4, 30-15! Another unforced error on the Nadal forehand gives Del Potro a pair of set points. Nadal saves the first when Delpo goes for the line on a forehand but misses by inches for 40-30, but he capitalizes on the second with a forehand winner, his 11th, to wrap up the first set!
A ball boy chases a bug off the court during the first set of Friday’s match. Photograph: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
First set: Nadal 4-5 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal opens with an ace but makes an unforced error from the baseline on a backhand for 15-all. What follows is surely the point of the match so far: a highly athletic baseline rally that breaks with Nadal attempts a drop shot that Del Potro angles over the net for a certain winner, only for Nadal to somehow get it back for a winner. The Spaniard uncoils a huge fist pump and the crowd is on their feet! Amazing! A service winner by Nadal gives him the hold and now Del Potro will try to serve out the first set.
First set: Nadal 3-4 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal pounds a pair of forehand winners, but Del Potro hits an even more ferocious forehand winner from the baseline to get his teeth into the game, prompting oohs and aahs from the crowd. He then tries a nifty cross-court backhand volley from the baseline that just hits the top of the net (though earns points from the aesthetes for degree of difficulty). Nadal then mashes a backhand winner for the comfortable hold. Still, Nadal trails by a break.
First set: *Nadal 2-4 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
A few celebs shown on the JumboTrons during the change of ends: Robert Redford and longtime NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw. The biggest cheers for Tiger Woods. Anyway, more tennis. An unforced forehand error by Del Potro opens the game, but Nadal responds with a backhand error of his own then Del Potro dials in a 126mph ace for 30-15. Del Potro having trouble with Nadal’s slice to his backhand and the Argentinian misses a backhand return on the approach for 30-all. A 123mph service winner makes it 40-30, but then Del Potro dumps another backhand into the net for deuce, another unforced error (his 10th of the match to Nadal’s six). Del Potro then crushes an ace for game point. Another extended rally breaks out, ending when Del Potro attempts a drop shot that Nadal manages to retrieve only for Delpo to dump the easy volley winner into the net for deuce. Del Potro stakes another game point with a big forehand winenr and the ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ breaks out again, prompting consternation from the chair umpire. Another hyper-athletic rally ends when Nadal drives a forehand into the net and Del Potro has consolidated the break, taking the scenic route to do it!
Nadal standing so, so far back on these serves. How far?
First set: Nadal 2-3 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Nadal is forced into an error on the opening point, but then misses a completely makeable approach backhand for love-30. A chance for Del Potro here. Nadal-forehand-to-Delpo-backhand rally breaks out on the next point, ending when Del Potro nets a shot. 15-30. Lots of noise between points, upstairs especially. “Thank you,” says the chair umpire for probably not the last time tonight. Now another lengthy rally ends when Nadal rips a forehand winner. Delpo then badly frames Nadal’s 94mph second serve for 40-30, but a big forehand troubles Nadal and his meek return is easily smashed away by Del Potro for deuce. Now Nadal has overcooked a backhand from the baseline and he’s staked another break-point opportunity. And – oh my goodness! – Del Potro’s return of a 103mph serve strikes the netcord not once but twice before dinking into the court for the break. Better to be lucky than good. But Del Potro is good, too. Quite.
First set: *Nadal 2-2 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Nadal now with a bit of headway on Del Potro’s serve when the Argentinian sends a backhand into the net, an unforced error. Nadal is then forced into a pair of errors for 30-15, but Del Potro steps in early in the rally for a forehand on the approach but he’s sent it long. 30-all. Now a massive forehand winner by Del Potro, 91mph off the ground (while falling away!), that paints the line. A game point forthcoming. And Del Potro polishes off the hold with a 110mph ace.
First set: Nadal 2-1 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
Del Potro makes an error with a forehand, followed by a cross-court backhand winner by Nadal after the Argentinian came to net. But then a double fault followed by an unforced backhand error makes it 30-all. Now Nadal has sent another backhand soaring past the baseline and the first break-point chance of the night is his. Del Potro standing a few steps even farther back for this serve. Another short baseline rally and it ends when Del Potro dumps a forehand into the net. Break point saved for deuce. Del Potro then arrives a half-step behind a Nadal forehand and send the return long, doing the same on the next point (except off the backhand) to give Nadal the hold.
First set: *Nadal 1-1 Del Potro (*denotes next server)
Two quick points for Del Potro, the second on a step-in backhand winner. Next a 123mph ace down the middle, followed by a sprayed running forehand wide by Nadal. A hold at love for Del Potro. Cue the first, and we suspect not last, chant of ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ for Del Potro from the upper deck between games.
First set: Nadal 1-0 Del Potro* (*denotes next server)
A physical rally on the first point that Nadal wins with a forehand winner. Nadal then frames a backhand from the baseline high into the night for 15-all. Another baseline rally ends when Del Potro sends a forehand sailing. Early in the next point Del Potro rips a sharp angled forehand that troubles Nadal and he can’t get the backhand return back into the court. 30-all. Yet another lengthy baseline rally – do we sense a pattern forming? – ends when a Del Potro slice backhand catches the net. Nadal comes to net on the next point but Delpo’s attempted passing shot sails past the baseline and Nadal has the hold in his opening service game.
The players are on court and nearly finished their warm-ups. We should be under way shortly. A fantastic atmosphere on Ashe. Tiger Woods seated in the back row of Nadal’s player box. Not much longer now.
Del Potro has won the toss and elected to receive.
Hello and welcome to Arthur Ashe Stadum for today’s second men’s semi-final between Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro. The main event of the men’s twinbill has taken on a blockbuster feel with a sold-out stadium crowd on hand and a celebrities dotting the stands. At stake: a place in Sunday’s final opposite South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who’s just defeated Pablo Carreño Busta in the first semi-final.
The top-seeded Nadal, the world No1, holds a 8-5 lead in the head-to-head series between the players, but Del Potro leads 5-4 on hard courts, winning their last two meetings at Shanghai in 2013 and the Rio Olympics last year. The atmopshere for this one should be second to none: Nadal is one of the most popular tennis players ever, but I’ve seen a whole lot of Albiceleste jerseys on the grounds today …
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