Del Potro recovers to beat Thiem in five

Juan Martin del Potro probably never imagined he’d be in the US Open quarterfinals after what transpired in the first two sets of his clash with Dominic Thiem.

Affected by illness, he trailed the No.6 seed by two sets to love and then by 5-2 in the fourth, staving off a pair of match points and eventually pulling off a 1-6 2-6 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4 stunner.

A shattered Thiem double faulted on match point to clear del Potro a path through to the last eight, where he could face Roger Federer – a rematch of the 2009 final in New York that del Potro famously won.

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“I can say after big battle I was sick the last two days and I came here trying to play as best as I can. And then when I saw all this crowd cheering for me … I was trying to feel better every game and I think I fight like this because of you guys,” he said on court.

“I would like to have the trophy after this match (laughter). I’m so happy to go through playing this great match.”

The crowd – packing out Grandstand court and full of Argentinians – created a memorable atmosphere that would help elevate this match into the realm of a classic.

Flashes of 2009 with a MONSTROUS forehand from @delpotrojuan as he levels the match at 2 sets all!

Can you believe it?#USOpen pic.twitter.com/tYgUWNDFp3

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2017

It was a far cry from their meeting at the same stage at last year’s tournament, which del Potro also won when Thiem was forced to retire injured.

Despite his physical woes and a deficit that looked almost impossible to overcome, del Potro nonetheless embraced the occasion, humorously acknowledging former top 10 star and court-side reporter Mardy Fish before embarking on a sterling comeback.

After a third set that completely bucked the trend of the match, Thiem did well to settle in the fourth and quickly built a solid lead.

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— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) September 4, 2017

He served for the match at 5-3 and lead 30-0, but couldn’t close it out. The Austrian still managed to secure two match points in the 12th game, yet del Potro saved them both with aces.

Del Potro dominated the ensuing tiebreak, bringing the house down with a scorching forehand winner against a dispirited Thiem to send the match into a fifth.

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He looked poised to take the advantage when he held a 0-40 lead in the sixth game, only for Thiem to serve his way out of trouble.

The quality of tennis was high, yet del Potro – with the crowd firmly behind him – always had the advantage having served first in the set.

It was Thiem who cracked in the final game; although he saved one match point after a fabulous rally, he handed del Potro a second with a forehand error, and double-faulted the match away.

"I kept on going because of all of you today."@delpotrojuan saves 2 match points in front of a crowd that may as well have been his home. pic.twitter.com/c5LePAIM2h

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2017