Del Potro Stands Tall in Battle of Teen Stars

Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina rode a 22-match win streak into a much-anticipated bout with a fellow teen, Japan’s Kei Nishikori, and emerged with his string intact. Del Potro, 19, crushed his opponent – younger by 15 months and shorter by eight inches – 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Although both teens have acquired cult followings, Del Potro, the 17th seed, entered the match as the much higher ranked player, riding a wave of confidence earned by winning four straight tournaments coming into the Open. Nishikori, the first man from Japan to reach the Round of 16 here in the Open era, had his own reasons to be confident, having defeated 29th seed Juan Monaco and then pulling the upset of the tournament, sending 4th-seed David Ferrer packing in a thrilling five-setter.

This match, though, was all Del Potro, who after a slow start looked to be the fresher and more powerful player. He erased an 0-3 deficit in the first set and rolled through the next six games. The 6-foot-6 Argentine deployed his towering serve and big windup forehand to push the baby-faced Nishikori around the court and swat winners into the corners.

The more compact Nishikori has an explosive forehand, but he was unable to make a stand after surrendering his initial advantage. Del Potro struck 37 winners and converted seven of 10 break-point chances, and the engaging encounter that fans who packed Armstrong Stadium might have been hoping for never really materialized.

Though the "Argen-teen" had said after his own five-set match on Saturday that he’d “need a month to recover,” he looked more energetic than his opponent.

“Sometimes you don’t have much left in your legs,” Del Potro said in Spanish to his Argentine and Latin American fans after the match. “But thanks to all of you, I’m able to find the energy.”

In the quarters, Del Potro will meet either Andy Murray, the 6th seed, or Stanislas Wawrinka, ranked No. 10. Wawrinka is the last man to beat Del Potro, in the second round at Wimbledon.

Del Potro, who has vaulted from No. 65 in the world to No. 17 this summer, suddenly appears ready to challenge the top men in the game, though to date he has only two wins over Top 10 players.

He’ll be looking to add a third Top 10 scalp on Wednesday and keep his tour-leading hot streak alive.