WHAT HAPPENED: No. 3 seed Juan Martin del Potro continued his love affair with New York on Friday night, waving off a stern test from No. 31 seed Fernando Verdasco to reach the fourth round with a 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 win that finished after midnight.
“It was a really nice fight. We played three great sets,” said del Potro in his on-court interview. “And of course, when the game is over, we are great friends.”
Del Potro walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 4-1 head-to-head record against Verdasco, but it was their first meeting on outdoor hard courts since March 2012. The 34-year-old Verdasco has also enjoyed plenty of success throughout his career at the US Open, including back-to-back quarterfinal appearances in 2009 and 2010.
Both players traded early service breaks to start the match, but it was the Argentine who stepped up when it mattered most in the opening set. At 5-5, Del Potro broke Verdasco to love with a backhand volley winner and let out a roar of approval. He then comfortably closed out the set with a forehand winner to take the early lead.
The second set began nearly identically to the first. Del Potro immediately broke Verdasco to open the set, but a controversial moment down break point at 2-1, in which he was distracted by a loud “out” call from a fan in the crowd, caused to him to lose the break.
Both men continued to hold serve and force a tiebreak that proved to be a microcosm of how the first two sets had played out. A breathtaking backhand on the run gave del Potro an early mini-break to lead 3-1. He eventually earned two set points at 6-4, but brave shotmaking from Verdasco erased both chances. At 6-6, del Potro once again saved his best tennis for the most crucial moments, taking the next two points with huge forehands to grab a commanding advantage.
Del Potro earned another early break to take a 3-1 lead in the third set, but this time increased the pace on his serve and held the lead for the rest of the match. He made good on his first match point to wrap up the contest after two hours and 59 minutes.
WHAT IT MEANS: Del Potro is into the fourth round at the US Open for the sixth time in 10 showings, and for the third consecutive year. He has also reached the second week at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set for the third consecutive time.
Next up for the 2009 US Open champion is No. 20 seed and #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric, who is into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. It will be their first career meeting.
On paper, the draw is opening up for the Argentine to enjoy another big fortnight in New York. Should he prevail over Coric, del Potro also holds a winning record against both of his potential quarterfinal opponents, John Isner (7-4) and Milos Raonic (3-2).
MATCH POINT: The Argentine achieved his career-high ranking of No. 3 this month, more than eight years after becoming No. 4 in January 2010.
