In convincing style, Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro wore the game’s greatest star down and powered past 5-time U. S. Open Champion Roger Federer. Del Potro’s 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 four hour victory was a draining physical effort for Federer and a wild emotional roller-coaster ride for the 20 year old victor.

The turning point in the hard-fought match came at the end of the third set when Del Potro double faulted twice to hand the set to Federer. This is a time when other players have crumbled against the 15-time Grand Slam Champion. Instead, Juan Martin decided to win without his booming 137 mph serve and began to rely on his devastating forehand.

“At that moment I start to think I’m in the final, playing with Roger, the best player in history. I have nothing to lose,” the 6’ 6” Argentine told reporters. “Two sets to one down, I think, OK, you never lose until the last point, so keep fighting. The crowd help me, and they saw my fight in every point.”
What the crowd also saw was a player who took something off his power serve, and began to hit 110 mph forehands deep into the court. In a rare occurrence, the lanky Argentine began to move Federer around the court.

With 5 consecutive U.S. Open titles to his credit and with 6 wins over Del Potro, the Swiss star seemed surprised with the sheer force of the winner’s power game. Del Potro had a weapon. The crowd liked it. The champion gained confidence and kept pounding away. Suddenly, the unflappable Federer looked beatable.

The French and Wimbledon winner and Australian runner-up made 62 unforced errors, including an unusually high 11 double faults. Federer never seemed to recover from an uncharacteristic Hawk-Eye dispute with the chair umpire. In the end, it was Del Potro’s forehand that sealed the match.
The winner started slowly and it looked like the defending champ would coast to his 41st consecutive win at the Open. “The beginning of the match I was so nervous, I can’t sleep last night. I don’t take a breakfast today,” he said. “That’s part of the final, you know.”

Juan Martin finally broke in the 10th game of the second set. That first break seemed to give him confidence. He cruised to a lead in the tiebreaker and served out to capture the key set. With the win, the crowd rallied behind the first South American to win the New York title since Guillermo Vilas triumphed in 1977.

The Champion stormed to an early lead in the fourth set tiebreaker and again served out the game to grab momentum heading into the final set. After an easy hold in game one, Del Potro lashed three winners past a surprised and heavy-legged Federer, who seemed physically and emotionally spent. At 3-0, Juan Martin Del Potro appeared to want to focus on his service games. With Roger serving at 2-5, the unexpected happened as Roger missed a forehand, then a second forehand before hitting a winner. However he followed with a missed backhand to find himself at 15-40.
Like the champion that he is, Federer pulled back to even and even got to ad before Del Potro pasted another forehand winner. At deuce, Roger Federer did the unthinkable and double faulted. This just does not happen.

At the third match point, he could not withstand the forehand pressure and hit a backhand long. Del Potro sank to the court in recognition of the grandeur of his first Grand Slam Championship. At age 20, there will be more.

On this day, the better player won. For Federer, the loss ended a magnificent year in which he won two major titles and reached five set finals in the other two.

Del Potro took the hard road home, beating Rafa Nadal in the semis and Federer in the finals. No player has ever done that. It appears the power game is back and in the capable hands of the young Argentine. Congratulations Juan Martin, 2009 U.S. Open Champion. We knew you could do it! The changing of the guard is coming.

Federer Does it All

Roger Federer continued his magical march through the field on Sunday with a smooth ride past 4^th seeded Novak Djokovic.  The 7-6 (3), 7-5, 705 triumph featured spectacular shot making and a between the legs winner in the last game.  On more than one occasion, Djokovic was left shaking his head in awe of his opponent’s mastery.

Federer had one more ace than Djokovic and hit an astounding 49 winners.  Many shots left the Serb flat footed.  It seems that Federer forces opponents to play his game, at which he is virtually unbeatable.

Djokovic played as well as he could and well enough to beat most other tour players.  As he always does in the big moments, the Swiss star turned it up one notch and is clearly a level above the 4^th seed.

Del Potro Shocks Nadal

In a overpowering display of missile like serves and rocket like ground strokes, Argentina’s Juan martin Del Potro moved to the head of the class in the lower bracket.  The 6’9” 20-year old looks poised to throw an awesome array of talent and force at the top seeded Federer in the finals.

Del Potro stormed through 3^rd seeded Rafa Nadal in a match that was never in doubt.  His 135 mph serve kept Nadal deep off the court and on the defensive in the 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 drubbing.  It was Nadal’s worst defeat since rising to the top of the tour rankings earlier this season.

Del Potro will need to sustain the momentum and bring his A game on Monday at 4:00 p.m. EST.  The lanky 6^th seed broke Nadal 6 times in the 1 hour 45 minute match.  As predicted before the tournament, Del Potro has been the tour’s hottest player this summer and we expect the upset today.

As expected, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal appear to be on a Sunday afternoon collision course in the finals of the 2009 U.S. Open. But, hold it! Don’t forget that we picked impressive Juan Martin Del Potro to upset the apple cart and escape the U.S. with the Open Cup in his hands. And, you know what? We still like his chances.

On Tuesday, the possibility of a Del Potro-Nadal semi-final pairing took another exciting step forward. Rafa did his thing against impressive French fireballer Gael Monfils in an evening match that had enthralled spectators gasping for air. Nadal’s four set 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 triumph sported two of the fleetest players to grace the game.

In a display of pure athleticism, it would be hard to top this matchup. Rafa Nadal did not have time to show effects from his recent knee or abdominal issues. Monfils came out fast and asserted his will in the opening set. But, as usual, Nadal wears on opponents. He settled to the pace and gradually took charge of the match. The two showmen were most entertaining and provided a series of thrillingly deft shots.

Nadal will face Fernando Gonzalez who surprised the other great French player Jo Wilfried Tsonga with a stirring 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4 victory. Gonzalez showed Tsonga no quarter and had answers for Tsonga’s power game. Solid groundstrokes paved the way for the upset. Gonzalez will square off with Nadal on Thursday but it seems unlikely, the Chilean can stay with the hard charging Spaniard.

Perhaps the most disappointing match of the day was a lackluster effort put forth by number two seed, Scotsman Andy Murray. Wearing his best “deer-in-the-headlights” blank look, Murray put on a Safina-like performance that should complete his over-ranked resume. In a pitiful semblance of the play that fans expect from a quality player, Murray’s tennis career seems headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps, a visit to the friendly sports shrink would help?

A triumphant 16th seed, Croatian Marin Cilic, seemed as bewildered as the crowd. He blew past the listless red-head in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in an embarrassing performance for which the U.S. Open should refund the admission price. At least Murray is done for this year. He needs a break and a new sense of commitment.

Tonight the top-seeded Federer will be center stage against a familiar opponent, Sweden’s Robin Soderling. Soderling will certainly give it his all, but Roger has the answers for Soderling’s big serve. Nonetheless, Soderling has had a strong year.

In the match of the day, Fernando Verdasco will be looking to upset 4th seed Novak Djokovic in a late afternoon pairing. Verdasco and Djokovic have both been on their games so fans expect a battle royal. After the Murray fiasco, a hotly contested match would be a welcome site.

As Nadal and Monfils played late in the night, the cameras shifted briefly to an outside court where a taped Melanie Oudin was practicing for her underdog performance against hot Dane Caroline Wozniacki. The young American has been on a constant media watch and fans wonder how she can maintain her focus.

After her triumph over Italian Flavia Pennetta, Serena Williams told interviewers she was caught up in the Melanie watch and would be cheering for the rising start this evening. Serena will go against Kim Clijsters tomorrow in a stern test against the woman who blasted her sister.

All the top seeds looked convincing on Day Three of the 2009 U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal was particularly impressive in his 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 domination of France’s Richard Gasquet. Nadal sported 7 aces, no double faults and committed just 10 unforced errors. Spectators saw no evidence of the knee injury that sidelined the Spanish star from Wimbledon. Rafa looked his dominant self and will face German Nicolas Kiefer in Round Two. Nadal has never won the US Open.

Roger Federer was tested by another German, Simon Gruel, in a tight three set match at prime time. As usual, Federer did what he had to do to pull out a 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 win. The top seed will next face a challenge from long-time rival and 2001 U.S. Open Champion, Australian Lleyton Hewitt. Hewitt was impressive on Wednesday in defeating Juan Ignacio Chela in straight sets. A battle–tested veteran, Hewitt will give Federer everything he has in Round Three.

Fourth seeded Novak Djokovic showed no mercy in his 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic. Djokovic looked every bit as impressive as Nadal with 9 aces, no double faults and just 7 unforced errors. As in other Grand Slam early rounds, Djokovic’s play was nearly flawless. His consistent play will be a challenge to all comers.

Sixth seeded Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Argentine countryman Juan Monaco 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a less impressive manner. Del Potro uncharacteristically committed 25 unforced errors but appeared to be treating the match as a tune-up. Del Potro has the reputation of playing down to his opponent’s level of play. That dangerous mindset was in evidence on Wednesday.

American Jesse Levine, who was impressive at Wimbledon, continued his strong play with a dominant 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win over Russia’s Teimuraz Gabashvili. The 21 year old left-hander shows no signs of nerves and will next face 16th seeded Croatian veteran Marin Cilic. The New York fans were extremely enthusiastic about Levine’s performance and just might distract the hard serving Cilic.

Of the 64 players left, Djokovic, Roddick and Nadal have looked especially impressive and have shown the eye of the tiger. Top-seeded Federer is rounding into form and 2nd seed Murray will be in action on Thursday. At Flushing Meadows, it is game on!

America’s Devin Britton may be the best collegiate player in the land, but he received a rare lesson yesterday from the best tennis player to ever grace the courts. Roger Federer did his thing in an 88-minute 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 taming of the NCAA Champion.

Federer shook off the cobwebs and let his supporters see just enough before exiting in anticipation of his second round match with Juan Ignacio Chela. Once Britton got his feet underneath him, he played to his potential and will doubtless be back a more experienced and less nervous opponent.

In the last match of the day, fifth seeded Andy Roddick stormed past German Bjorn Phau 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Roddick showed the fitness and form that have led to his revitalization. Roddick looks to be a tough out in this event and with his huge fan base pushing hard, watch out for the upsets.

German Tommy Haas thrives on early match drama. He racked up another tense four set first round win with a stirring 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 win over Alejandro Falla. Haas looked tentative and will need steadier play to overcome his second round opponent Robert Kendrick of the U.S.

Kendrick played well in London but was more impressive on Monday. The hard serving youngster was never threatened en route to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Arguello Martin Vassallo. Look for Kendrick to surprise the 20th seeded Haas.

Lleyton Hewitt played hard in a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Thiago Alves. Hewitt seems poised for a third round battle with Federer and looks forward to a better showing than in London.

Meanwhile, American James Blake seemed tentative at times but held on to win a 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 match with Hidalgo Ruben Ramirez. Seeded 21st, Blake has not had his best year. New York fans are hoping some hometown cooking will settle his woeful serve.

Eight seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia worked his way past Dieter Kindlmann of Germany with a hard earned 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 triumph. Davydenko looks to have a relatively easy path to the quarters.

Many of the game’s biggest names take the court on Tuesday. So far, no upsets at the U.S. Open.