FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — It took two days, some 42 hours to complete. But Rafael Nadal finally moved on to his second consecutive U.S. Open semifinal with a rain-delayed 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-0 quarterfinal win over Fernando Gonzalez.
In a match that began on Thursday night but dragged into Saturday after persistent showers passed over the Tri-State Area, the heavy hitters went toe-to-toe in the first two sets, exchanging huge groundstrokes from the baseline. Nadal took the first set 7-6(4) and led 3-2 in the second-set tiebreaker when the match was called in the early-morning hours of Friday. USTA officials had hoped to play the remainder of the match on Friday afternoon, but the rain never subsided. When the pair took the court again on Saturday, it was clear that the layoff had more of a negative effect on Gonzalez than Nadal. Gonzalez – who hadn’t reached a quarterfinal here since ‘02 — amassed 59 errors (46 more than the world No. 3) and swatted three of his six double faults in the lackluster third set, which the Chilean seemed to concede from the start.
“I didn’t feel the ball like I really wanted,” said Gonzalez, at 29 the oldest of the USO’s Final Eight.
“[The] important thing is be calm, be ready to come back,” said Nadal, who has been nursing both his knees and an abdominal strain. “And when you come back in one situation like today, anything can happen, because it’s a little bit [of a] lottery [and] depends [on] the first two points…You feel good in these two points or not. Important thing is to be ready to accept everything, and try to arrive there knowing what to do, no?”
Waiting for Nadal is 20-year-old Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, who three days after knocking off fellow big-man Marin Cilic of Croatia 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, will be well rested compared to the Spaniard. Rafa holds a 4-2 career edge, but JMDP has claimed the last two outings — both coming on hard courts earlier this year at Masters events in Miami and Montreal.
“He’s [a] very complete player, no?” said Nadal looking ahead. “In the past, he didn’t serve like he is doing right now. He has an unbelievable serve right now. From the baseline, he is very solid. He [doesn’t make] mistakes. He is very big.”
Big is an understatement. In fact, in reference to Del Potro’s 6-foot-6 frame, Nadal didn’t used the word “height,” preferring instead “altitude.” And of the ATP’s new-era big men (which include the youngsters Cilic, Gulbis and Querrey), DelPo – who also reached the semis at Roland Garros — is the best mover — an intimidating, multi-surface wonder who brings it off both wings and is gaining confidence with every victory.
