New York: It took eight years but Rafa Nadal gained his revenge, ending Juan Martin del Potro’s hopes of another dream run to the US Open final with a shockingly ruthless semifinal victory here Friday. The 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 thrashing also moved the Spaniard to the brink of a 16th Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard will face another giant in the final, the 6’8” South African Kevin Anderson who prevented an all-Spanish summit clash by beating Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. This will be Anderson’s first ever Grand Slam final.
In 2009 it was Del Potro who dismissed Nadal in straight sets to reach the Flushing Meadows final where he defeated Roger Federer to claim his one and only Major. He was dreaming of an encore, but Nadal turned his dream into a nightmare.
“Today (Friday) was the day to play well,” said Nadal, a twice US Open champion. “I was playing so-so at the beginning of the tournament, and I have been playing better and better every day.
“Today was the day to play the best match of the tournament since that moment, because I (was) going to play against the toughest opponent, and that opponent, as I said before, coming with big confidence. I told myself when I woke up today morning ‘I need to play with right energy and increase my level’,” Nadal added.
Nadal did not get off to the brightest of starts, dropping the opening set as he struggled to handle the towering Argentine’s serve and huge forehand.
But in the second, the World No.1 seemed to flick a switch and ignite the after burners. Clearly the fresher of the two players after two speedy straight set wins, Nadal used it to his full advantage.
After a draining epic five-setter against Dominic Thiem and no less taxing four-set quarterfinals win over Roger Federer, Del Potro simply seemed to run out of gas.
Nadal did not hesitate to inflict pain and punishment, rampaging through the rest of the match by winning 18 of 23 games, including nine straight ones to sweep the second set and a 3-0 lead in the third. The rest was easy for the Spaniard.
Big-serving Anderson on the other hand battled back from a set down to beat Carreno Busta. World No.32 Anderson became the first South African to reach a Grand Slam final in over 30 years. The last player from that country to play a Major final was Kevin Curran who finished runner-up at the Australian Open in 1984.
Scoreline
Rafa Nadal beat Del Potro The 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2
Kevin Anderson bt Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
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