Del Potro Sets Thiem Showdown
Del Potro Sets Thiem Showdown
Argentine powers past Bautista Agut
Juan Martin del Potro continued his flawless progress through the top half of the US Open draw, claiming his third straight-sets win of the tournament on Saturday as he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round.
The Argentine will look to keep his run going when he faces sixth seed Dominic Thiem in the fourth round on Monday. Del Potro leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 2-0, including victory over the Austrian at this stage in New York last year, when Thiem was forced to retire.
Looking ahead to the clash with Thiem, del Potro said, “He has everything to win the match. He’s having a great season already. He’s the favourite for the match. But I like to play him. I like to play him in this tournament. Hopefully I can do a good match.”
Del Potro won his lone major crown at Flushing Meadows in 2009 (d. Federer) and made quarter-final appearances in 2012 (l. to Djokovic) and 2016 (l. to Wawrinka), making it his most successful Grand Slam championship.
.@delpotrojuan shares a sweet moment with fans on the Grandstand
▶️ the clip. https://t.co/Zu8RseB0gd ❤️ #usopen pic.twitter.com/yDarmr9G5o— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 2, 2017
Against the 11th-seeded Bautista Agut, del Potro fired 14 aces, hitting 38 winners to 32 unforced errors. The right-hander converted five of his 13 break points and won 78 per cent of his first service points.
“I think I played the best match of the tournament,” said del Potro. “I hit so well my forehand. I served well during the whole match. I played very smart with my slice. I came to the net very often, tried to be aggressive all the time, and I think I played well.”