Murray appeared to be firmly in control of the contest after seizing two difficult tiebreak sets, yet he was unable to put away the Argentine teenager. Del Potro had received treatment twice for knee problems, but he capitalized on Murray errors and quite suddenly resurrected his power game to capture the third set and extend the match.
Del Potro immediately broke serve to begin the fourth set, tantalizing a crowd with thoughts of a five-setter as the lights came on in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Momentum changed hands repeatedly thoughout the encounter, as neither player could consolidate service breaks. There were 14 breaks of serve in the match.
“I’m very relieved,” said a clearly exhausted Murray. “I’d let it slip a bit.”
In the early going, Del Potro, 19, ran headlong into the Scot’s varied counterpuncher arsenal, and until midway through the third set, it appeared as though Murray’s offspeed balls, dozens of drop shots, deft lobs and persistent slices would produce a straight-sets victory.
Murray’s game plan was to move the lanky, 6-ft-6 righthander from side to side and often finished off long rallies with forehand dropshots, exposing Del Potro’s biggest weakness: his movement. Murray deliberately tried to avoid giving Del Potro any pace or rhythm to work with, because when Del Potro has time to line up – and wind up – for his shots, he is at his most lethal.
Del Potro showed that he could not only blast big groundstrokes, but that he could put up a real fight as well. Though his streak has come to an end, the Argentine has had the summer of his professional life, in which he captured four consecutive ATP titles and catapulted from No. 65 in the world to No. 17. On the strength of his US Open run, he is sure to rise to just outside the Top 10.
“I was feeling pain in all my body, but I just did my best. We played a good match. Andy [had] a very good performance and [was] in good shape. So he's the best winner. I'm happy.”
Murray, winner of three hard-court titles this year, is likely to rise to No. 4 when rankings come out after the conclusion of the US Open.
Although there was great interest in this quarterfinal matchup between two of the tour’s rising stars, intensified by pre-match buildup for two antagonists said to be less than friendly, there were no fireworks on court – other than the very real tennis drama of two foes trying to outlast one another.
For the second day in a row, a late-afternoon men’s match seeped into the evening, creating logistical challenges on the grounds as a massive crowd gathered on the South Plaza outside Arthur Ashe Stadium, unable to enter for the night match session.
