mtenis.com.pl

Former champion Del Potro to face American John Isner
It is not often that two players can establish a fierce rivalry, spanning 10 matches at some of the biggest events in the sport, without meeting on the most common surface: hard-courts. But that can be said for Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, who across the past five seasons, have contested a series of gripping contests on clay.
Nadal, an 11-time Roland Garros champion, has dominated on clay throughout his career, with few opponents capable of standing up to the challenge presented by the Spaniard on the red dirt. But recently, Thiem has presented the biggest conundrum for the Manacor native. The 25-year-old Austrian is the only man to defeat Nadal on the surface since Roland Garros in 2015, and has done so in each of the past two seasons, in Rome and Madrid, respectively.
At the Mutua Madrid Open in May, Thiem ended Nadal's 50-set winning streak on clay - an Open Era record for any single surface - at the quarter-final stage; his third clay-court victory over Nadal. Only two other men have managed that feat, Novak Djokovic (7) and Gaston Gaudio (3).
After meeting for the first time in a Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in June, the familiar foes will commence another new chapter in their rivalry on Tuesday, when they collide for the first time on a hard-court in the US Open quarter-finals.
"It is a different kind of match than on clay," said Nadal. "But it is still a tennis match. It is a different thing, but in some way, I know how he plays. He knows how I am playing. [It is] going to be an interesting one, a tough one, hopefully for both of us."
Nadal, who leads Thiem 7-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, will be aiming to reach the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows for the seventh time. The 32-year-old owns a 57-10 record in New York, winning each of his past six quarter-finals after losing to Mikhail Youzhny on his last-eight debut in 2006.
"[It is] going to be a tough one," said Nadal. "He is a very powerful player and he knows how to play these kinds of matches. I need to play my best match of the tournament if I want to keep having chances to stay in the tournament."
Thiem, making his Grand Slam quarter-final debut outside of Paris, is looking forward to the change in surface as he prepares to notch a fourth victory over the World No. 1. The 10-time tour-level titlist, who owns a 15-4 record at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, has equalled or improved on his best result in New York with each visit he has made.
"It's going to be the first time on a hard-court which is a completely new experience... On clay, I think it's one of the biggest challenges in sports to beat this guy or to compete with this guy. I hope that it's a little bit more comfortable on a hard court, but I'm not sure,” said Thiem.
The Lyon champion's experience of beating Nadal on his favourite surface will come into play when he enters Arthur Ashe Stadium. Thiem's knowledge that he can overcome Nadal in the toughest circumstances provides clarity to his game plan, even if he admits the strategy is high-risk.
"I think that I have very powerful ground strokes, and I can even hurt him with them," said Thiem. "But the key is to play really fast and powerful. But at the same time, not make too many mistakes.
"Yeah, I did it sometimes against him, but it's a risky game style also, because it can happen that I make too many mistakes."
Big Men Clash On Ashe During Day Session
Fighting for a place to meet the winner of the Nadal-Thiem encounter will be 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro and home favourite John Isner. Del Potro, the only man yet to drop a set in the top half of the draw, owns a 7-4 FedEx ATP Head2Head series record against the big-serving American.
But Isner has won their past two hard-court meetings, famously denying Del Potro a spot at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, in Paris, before triumphing at this year's Miami Open presented by Itaú, en route to the biggest title of his career.
"It will be a tough test for me, for sure... It's a match-up that I sort of enjoy," said Isner. "He's one of the best players in the world. [You have] got to step up your game against a player like that... The last time we played on a hard-court was in Miami and I played exceptionally well there. try to draw a lot of positives from that.
"We all know his weapons… We all know about his serve. Of course, we all know about his forehand. But he's added a really, really good slice backhand to his game."
With Del Potro triumphing in straight sets in their first Grand Slam encounter at Roland Garros this year, the Argentine, competing at a career-high No. 3 in the ATP Rankings, will hope to emerge victorious once again as he bids to lift his second US Open crown.
The 2009 champion, who defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in back-to-back matches to lift the trophy nine years ago, shares a unique bond with the New York crowd and can expect to receive solid support, regardless of his opponent.
"I love to play with this energy from the crowd, from the people. They make me feel special... I [have] reached another quarter-final in my favourite tournament, which is something special to me," said Del Potro.
"Hopefully keep playing at the same level to go far. But it will be a good challenge for both in the next round with John. I don't know what could happen in that match."