By Chris Oddo | Wednesday August 29, 2018

Juan Martin del Potro had some injury concerns earlier this summer, but it appears that the 2009 U.S. Open champion has gotten the rest he needed. After skipping the Rogers Cup in Canada and falling in the quarterfinals at Cincinnati (to David Goffin), Del Potro has emerged rejuvenated in New York, where he improved to 31-8 lifetime by taking out American Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4) on a balmy day in Queens.



Del Potro has yet to drop a set through two rounds and can now look forward to a sixth career meeting with Fernando Verdasco on Saturday.

It will be a surprise date.

Verdasco shook the draw on Wednesday when he overcame Andy Murray in four sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the third round at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2012.

Del Potro owns a 4-1 lifetime edge over the Spaniard including three straight wins.

The Argentine has had a far better season than Verdasco and he improved to 39-10 today and 28-6 on hardcourts, but Verdasco’s confidence will be bolstered by a grand result on one of the game’s biggest stages.

Making his 62nd straight Grand Slam appearance the Spaniard is now 34 years old. He celebrated his 500th ATP win earlier this season, and on Wednesday he reinforced a recurring theme in his career: He may not be able to go on deep runs at the majors but he is certainly capable of giant upsets like the one he achieved in 2016 when he knocked Rafael Nadal out of the Australian Open in the first round.

The Spaniard also upset Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros last year and Grigor Dimitrov in the third round this year.

He can be a bona fide house on fire when he is playing his best.

Like Del Potro Verdasco is blessed with big weapons—a giant serve and one of the biggest left-handed forehands that the game has ever seen—but it is the Argentine that has the flair for the dramatic and the keen ability to overcome pressure-cooked moments and steal away with momentous victories.



Even on Wednesday Verdasco struggled with the occasion but finally found his way to wobble past Murray by saving five break points and converting his third match point in a dramatic final game.

Del Potro hasn’t been tested this year in New York, but he has proven over the last few seasons that when he is facing the biggest obstacles he plays his very best tennis. Last year he battled back from two sets down to stun Dominic Thiem in the round of 16 in New York then bounced Roger Federer from the draw before falling to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the semis. Tucked in Nadal’s half of the draw once again this season, Del Potro appears to be on a collision course with the defending champion once again.

But Verdasco, ever dangerous, has other ideas. The Spaniard certainly has the game to knock top players of their perches, but in Del Potro he might be running into a force too giant.