NEW YORK, September 1, 2018
In Friday’s night session of the US Open, Juan Martín Del Potro extended his head-to-head advantage against No. 31 seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain to 5-1.
The 29-year-old Argentine fired 12 aces, winning 80 per cent of his first service points to to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the third straight year and sixth time overall. The encounter finished in just under three hours of play by the score of 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-3.
“It was a really nice fight. We played three great sets,” said del Potro in his on-court interview. “And of course, when the game is over, we are great friends.”
Next up for Del Potro will be No. 20 seed Borna Coric of Croatia, who is into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. It will be their first career meeting.
Noteworthy
- In another late-hour match, No. 8 seed Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic defeated US-American Sofia Kenin 6-4, 7-6(2) in one hour and 55 minutes.
- The US Open surpassed 70,000 in single-day attendance for the first time on Friday, August 31, with 70,162 fans coming to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
