Del Potro shocks Thiem after trailing by 2 sets
No. 24 seed Juan Martin Del Potro appeared lifeless through the first two sets against No. 6 seed - and world No. 8 - Dominic Thiem.
Down 1-6, 2-6, Del Potro's dreams of returning to the pinnacle of one of tennis' grandest stages seemed all but dashed. With a mountain to climb and little traction displayed early on, his eventual defeat in the fourth round of the US Open looked to be a foregone conclusion.
Then, as if scripted by the tennis gods themselves, the Argentine veteran responded by capping the match 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4, cementing one of the most tremendous come-from-behind victories of the season.
It took 3:34, but the final tally stood in favor of Del Potro: 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4.
The win came by the thinnest of margins. Thiem actually outscored Del Potro by 141 total points to 139, and held the edge in break points won (6-of-12, versus 5-of-16 by Del Potro), but the Austrian failed to capitalize on his chances to end the match, including a close fourth set that went to a tiebreak
It stands as Del Potro's highest-ranked victory since topping then-No. 6 Marin Cilic at the Davis Cup in November 2016, and just his second win over a top-10 ATP player of 2017; he beat then-No. 9 Kei Nishikori at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in May.
Del Potro reached the quarterfinals at the US Open 2016 and captured his lone Grand Slam title at the tournament in 2009 with a five-set comeback victory over Roger Federer 3–6, 7–6 (5), 4–6, 7–6 (4), 6–2.
"I don't know, I think (this match) is enough for me," Del Potro joked after the win when asked about moving on to the quarterfinals. "Maybe I have the chance to play Roger again in this tournament, which is special for me."
In fact, if Del Petro is to be crowned champion of the tournament, he will indeed have to conquer the Swiss legend once more. Federer defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 shortly after Del Potro's win, setting up a Wednesday showdown with the 28-year-old Argentine.
Del Potro is 5-16 against Federer in his career, most recently beating the 36-year-old back in 2013.