With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York.
Join us Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for the latest #USOpenClassics on Facebook Live and Twitter. Next up in the series is a full-match live stream of the 2009 final between Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer. The full match will be posted on Sunday on the US Open YouTube Channel.
First-time Grand Slam finalist Juan Martin del Potro entered the 2009 US Open title match with an 0-6 lifetime record against Roger Federer. But against all odds, the 20-year-old left Flushing Meadows with his first major title, earning himself a lifetime of love from the New York crowd in the process.
The pair had met three times already in 2009, with the Swiss sweeping thier meetings at the Australian Open (straight sets), Madrid Masters (straight sets) and French Open (five sets).
If the endearing Argentine was a longshot to end Federer's five-year run as US Open champ before the match, his chances tumbled as the Swiss took the opening set and later led by two-sets-to-one. But by edging a pair of tiebreaks in sets two and four, del Potro forced a fifth, where he was able to hit his way through his previously impermeable opponent and into US Open history.
Federer had won 40 straight US Open matches (plus one walkover) from 2004-09, ultimately falling just one win short of six straight titles.
With the victory, del Potro became the only player other than Rafael Nadal to beat the then-28-year-old Federer in a Grand Slam final. Novak Djokovic has since added his name to what is now an exclusive three-man list.
Forever a fan favorite in New York, del Potro's 35 career US Open wins are by far his most at any major. He returned to the championship match in 2018, his only other major final appearance, falling to Djokovic. Del Potro, who trails the lifetime head-to-head against Federer, 18-7, holds a 2-0 record over the Swiss in New York (2009 final, 2017 quarterfinals).
Watch the full #USOpenClassics match via Facebook Live and Twitter on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. For a coming attraction, view the highlights below.
