Juan Martin del Potro walked onto the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday evening having never lost a fourth-round match at the US Open. And when the ‘Tower of Tandil’ walked off the court, that record remained firmly intact.
Del Potro defeated No. 20 seed Borna Coric 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals in Flushing Meadows for the third straight year. He is the only player in the top half of the draw who has yet to lose a set. The 2009 champion's average match length has been just two hours and 11 minutes, setting him up for a strong run in the second week of the season's final major.
A year ago in the fourth round, Del Potro played a very different match. He trailed Dominic Thiem two sets to none, and would face two match points in the fourth set before coming back to stun the Austrian in one of the most memorable matches of the year.
Sunday evening’s contest had no such drama. The No. 3 seed broke his opponent’s serve six times, saving the only break point he faced in the two-hour, five-minute clash.
Coric was appearing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, backing up his Flushing Meadows-upset last year of Alexander Zverev. The Croatian, despite the loss, is in strong form, currently at a career-best No. 20 in the ATP Rankings.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2LSPrKW
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