Novak Djokovic faces Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarter-finals – US Open 2012
US Open defending champion, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, is still going extremely strong in his voyage at the Flushing Meadows Park. The reigning world number two has reached the quarter-final rounds of the Grand Slam event and will
take on the former US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, on Thursday afternoon.
Second seeded Serbian juggernaut hasn’t dropped a single set en route to the quarter-final round of the US Open, outplaying all of his opponents in straight sets without facing any real difficulty. He was leading 6-4, 6-2, 3-1,
in the fourth round battle against the 18th seed Stanislas Wawrinka when the Swiss pulled out of the contest due to injury.
Riding a 58-10 winning record for the current season, Djokovic has qualified for the quarter-final draw of the US Open for the sixth time in his career. He hasn’t faced any real challenge in the tournament so far but it is time
for the second seeded Serb to tighten his screws to face his next opponent.
World number eight, Del Potro, has also been in a sublime form this season and holds a 52-13 win-loss ratio this year. He has already bagged two ATP championship titles in the running season and has looked very strong throughout
the current Grand Slam campaign. He conquered the former world number one, Andy Roddick, in a four-set thriller, 6-7(1), 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4, to book a battle against the defending champion in the quarter-finals.
Winner of 2009 US Open title, Del Potro trails 2-5 against Djokovic in the head-to-head series but his skills to hunt down the superior ranked opponents well known. The Argentine tennis ace is aiming to repeat his 2009 heroics
at the Flushing Meadows Park and he has to defeat the in-form world number two before achieving his dream.
Djokovic played against the Argentine twice earlier this year; he lost to Del Potro at the London Olympics but avenged his defeat at the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters later. He is very confident to extend his head-to-head
lead against the world number eight but also knows he has to play his heart out to before tumbling Del Potro.
"Del Potro is a quality player, somebody that when he's physically fit he can challenge anybody on any surface," said Djokovic. "It's the quarter-finals. There is no really clear favourite anymore. I have to try to play my best."
Both of these world class acts will feature the crunch match on Thursday afternoon.
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