Del Potro beats Isner and heat to reach US Open semis

Thursday, 6 September 2018 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sep 4, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Juan Mart’n Del Potro of Argentina celebrates after his match against John Isner of the United States (not pictured) in a quarter-final match on day nine of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis

Center - USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK (Reuters): Juan Martin Del Potro outslugged John Isner 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the US Open on Tuesday after a towering battle in a sweltering Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The three hour, 31 minute quarter-final was played in suffocating humidity so extreme that officials called a halt to junior matches on the outside courts for more than two hours.

Play continued on Arthur Ashe but with temperatures nudging 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7°C) the stadium was turned into a sauna, leaving the 6’10” (2.08m) American Isner and 6’6” (1.98m) Argentine Del Potro, suffering.“I weigh 238 pounds, so I have always said it’s pretty difficult to play in hot conditions,” said Isner, who had 11 shirt changes during match. “I weigh a lot and I sweat a lot.

“It takes its toll on bigger guys, in my opinion.

“I don’t know what I weighed before the match. I did not weigh myself, but I can tell you I lost a lot of weight out there.”

Anyone looking for serve and volley came to the wrong place as the pair traded bombs from the baseline with Isner, bidding to become the first American since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach US Open semi-finals, belting 26 aces and Del Potro 14.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.