While there’s disappointment in the tennis world missing out on the highly anticipated Nadal/Federer semifinal clash, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited for Friday’s men’s semifinals. On one side we have two surprise semifinalists making their first appearance at this stage of a major. It will be fascinating to see how they both perform in the biggest moment of their careers. On the other side we have two of the most popular players on tour, as well as two of the game’s greatest warriors, in what will be the battle of the monster forehands.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Kevin Anderson
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This is certainly not the most high-profile major semifinal, but I think it will still be captivating. Both are very likable players, and with contrasting styles that should make for an interesting matchup. While both have received generous draws on their road to this semifinal, both have also played at a high level despite the pressure of this wide open draw weighing on them. Anderson is 2-0 against Carreno Busta, including a straight-set win just a few weeks ago in Montreal. The South African has the much bigger game and will be the favorite to advance to his first major final. But don’t count out Pablo – he’s shown us he’s a fighter during his breakout 2017 season. A prime example is his fourth round victory over Milos Raonic at Roland Garros, where we fought from behind to win 8-6 in the fifth. There will surely be plenty of nerves on both sides of the net, which could make this an extended, dramatic semifinal.
Rafael Nadal vs. Juan Martín Del Potro
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The head-to-head here is a tight 8-5 in favor of Nadal, but Del Potro leads 5-4 on hard courts. Their most recent matchup saw Juan Martin defeat Rafa in a final set tiebreak at the 2016 Rio Olympics. That victory guaranteed Del Potro a medal, while Nadal would miss out on the podium. Rafa will surely find motivation in remembering that disappointing loss, and find comfort in knowing he’s a completely different player one summer later. Last year, Nadal missed many months of the season due to a wrist injury, and was far from 100% at the Olympics. This year he has already won four titles (including of course his 10th French Open), and regained the number one ranking heading into New York. Meanwhile Del Potro has struggled in 2017, as he headed into the US Open with only 18 wins on the year. But Juan Martin came to life in his amazing comeback victory over Dominic Thiem, and followed it up with his best tennis of the season in upsetting Roger Federer. The last time he defeated Federer in New York, he also defeated Nadal. In their only previous US Open meeting, Del Potro clobbered Nadal, allowing the Spaniard only six games in the 2009 semifinals. I don’t expect such a lopsided victory here for either player. If Juan Martin plays as well as he did for the last three sets against Thiem, and for the entire match against Federer, he’ll be extremely hard to beat. Nadal did not play his best earlier in this tournament, but looked to have his swagger back in his last two rounds. That being said, Rafa hasn’t really been tested yet by a legitimate threat. Both men seem to be close to 100% after the injuries and illness they’ve recently endured. I expect this second semifinal of the day to also be a prolonged encounter. Does Del Potro have another big upset in him? Considering Nadal has not won a hard court tournament in nearly four years, and hasn’t been at his best this summer, I suspect the Argentine just might.
