NEW YORK – You'd think by now we'd learn not to count out Juan Martin del Potro.
After No. 6-seed Dominic Thiem fended off three straight break points to go up by a set and 5-2 in the second, a second quarterfinal run in as many years looked to be out of reach for the Argentine. The 28-year-old looked gassed, queasy and he had a fever. He would drop the set in short order.
Then, he dug. And dug. And dug some more.
In what was the match of the tournament so far, del Potro upset Thiem 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in a marathon match that lasted three hours and 35 minutes and ignited the crowd on Grandstand on Monday evening.