On paper, it looked to be an easy fourth-round match for Juan Martin del Potro. Even as he was slated to go up against World Number Eight Dominic Thiem, he brought with him no small measure of momentum borne of straight-sets romps in his earlier stints at Flushing Meadows. More importantly, he possessed the game required to beat his opponent, who, while seeded 18 spots ahead of him in the United States Open draw, had hitherto been on the losing end of both their previous matches, including their abbreviated encounter this time last year. Which, in a nutshell, was why oddsmakers made him a heavy favorite.
There was just one problem, however. As much as Del Potro looked forward to preserving his body for the battles ahead, he found himself needing every ounce of his energy to upend Thiem. He stumbled out of the gates, claiming a grand total of three games in the first two sets. And then, after a rousing third, he fell behind anew in the fourth; he had to claw back from a two-five deficit and, at five-six, stare down two match points.
In any case, Del Potro showed his best in the throes of defeat. He stayed alive in the contest via booming 127 and 121 miles-per-hour aces and thereafter dominated the tie-break to force a final set. And, all things considered, it was, perhaps, only fitting for the outcome to be decided on a bizarre double fault by Thiem, who had hitherto held serve in the fifth. Given that he made like Lazarus in crucial points, he could be forgiven for celebrating as if he had claimed the championship in the aftermath.
For Del Potro, the bad news is that he will be facing resurgent Roger Federer next. Then again, anything that happens from here on is effectively a bonus. And besides, if there’s any place he can rise up against the 19-time major titleholder, it’s at Flushing Meadows, where he enjoys immense support, and where he won his lone Grand Slam trophy in 2009. “Thanks so much for all the support you gave,” he told the jampacked Grandstand crowd after he defeated Thiem. No doubt, he’ll be addressing fans the same way regardless of how he fares tomorrow.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
