Miami: Juan Martin del Potro raised the roof as he came from behind to beat Milos Raonic 5-7, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/3) and power into a Miami Open semi-final clash with American John Isner.
Roared on by a partisan crowd, del Potro rallied after losing the first set to finally wear down the Canadian in two hours and 53 minutes of relentless drama.
There was little difference between these two big hitters, but it was the Argentine who held his nerve when it counted to book a last-four encounter with Isner on Friday.
“I love to play in matches like this,” a visibly weary del Potro said after his 15th straight match win.
“We both played well, the difference was perhaps that I just played better in the tie-breaks.
“I am tired now, but at least I have a day off to prepare for Friday. It’s going to be important that I recover physically and mentally because that was a real battle.”
Del Potro came into the match owning the hottest streak on the ATP Tour with 20 match wins this year.
The Argentine’s return to form has delighted his fans in Miami, where they packed the main stadium once again to cheer their hero ever closer to winning the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami on the heels of his triumph in Acapulco.
Raonic, the big serving Canadian, had other ideas.
The pair met in the Californian desert just three weeks ago with 2009 US Open champion del Potro winning 6-2, 6-3, but 25th-ranked Raonic was on his game from the off.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray has agreed to play at the June grasscourt tournament in Rosmalen in the Netherlands, as the former world number one steps up his bid to fully recover from hip surgery in time for Wimbledon.
The Scot has not played a competitive match since losing to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last July and underwent an operation on the hip at the start of the year after rest and recuperation failed to resolve the issue.
“The two-time Wimbledon champion will continue his comeback from injury on the grass courts of Rosmalen in the Netherlands,” the organisers of the June 11-17 tournament said in a statement.
Murray, who has not played in the Netherlands since reaching the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open in 2015, posted pictures of himself playing in Nice this week in an encouraging sign that he is working his way back to full fitness.
“I am looking forward to getting back on the grass and to play Rosmalen for the first time,” the 30-year-old said.
“I’ve heard lots of good things about the tournament and the courts are meant to be very good — it’s the perfect way for me to prepare for Wimbledon.” The ATP World Tour 250 series event was won by Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller in 2017.
