Olympic Tennis: Del Potro Advances to Gold Medal Match

The first was one-sided, the other a thriller. Fans got everything they wanted in Rio on Saturday. What a day eight at the Olympic Tennis Center! 

Semi-final day on the men’s side at the Olympic Tennis Center in Rio was a tale of two completely different matches but both ultimately led to the same result: Andy Murray will take on Juan Martin Del Porto for the singles gold medal.

Earlier today, in the first semi-final match, Murray took on Japan’s Kei Nishikori with the winner guaranteed a medal and the looser stuck with fighting for bronze.

Despite the high stakes, Nishikori didn’t have anything in his repertoire that could beat Murray who was at his best on serve and during long rallies.

In the end, the number two player in the world representing Great Britain needed just 79 minutes on court to take care of the Japanese number one 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets.

After watching this match, its easy to see why Murray is now 7-1 head-to-head against Nishikori. Some players just don’t match up well with other players.

Murray didn’t break serve in this match, and converted all three of his breakpoints opportunities. Murray only had two more total winners than Nishikori, but he made just 15 unforced errors compared to 23 for Nishikori.

Looking to seal the match up five games to four on serve, Nishikori showed fight taking game number 10 to deuce. Still at 40-40, Murray came up with the rally of the match and the tournament to gain the advantage and one match point.

That is just sensational: it would be hard to find a better quality rally at the professional level ever. Upsets may have depleted the draws in Rio, but the quality of play has only gotten better showing how much winning an Olympic medal, and in particular gold, means to these athletes.

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The majority of players competing this week would tell you that Olympic gold is in the same category as a grand slam win.

Just ask Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. His reaction after winning the longest singles match to date at these games, defeating Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5) in three hours and eight minutes to reach the gold medal match says it all.

After winning doubles gold with his partner Marc Lopez last night to record career match win number 800, Nadal had already spent over 18 hours on court this week.

To play at the level he did especially in the third set against Del Porto’s powerful serve and forehand showed once more the toughness that has defined his hall of fame journey.

Unfortunately for Nadal, it was the shots that he missed, both on the backhand and the forehand on serve, that ultimately costed the Beijing gold medalist. Del Potro made 12 more total errors than Nadal, but the Argentine had 10 more winners. Del Potro recorded 11 aces compared to just two for Nadal who got his first serve in just 71 percent of the time.

The final games of this match provided the greatest entertainment. After Del Potro failed to convert double-break point earlier in the decider, he finally took advantage of Nadal’s inconsistent serve converting triple break point giving the former world number seven and current world number 141 a chance to serve the match out at 5-4.

Instead, Nadal got the momentum right back with a love break to even up the set at five games all. Both players held in their respective service games meaning a guaranteed spot on the podium would come down to a tiebreak.

After failing to convert two match points earlier in the tiebreak, Nadal missed an inside-out forehand wide to the left giving Del Potro his second top five win of this tournament, becoming the first player in ATP World Tour history to accomplish that feat after defeating world number one Novak Djokovic in the round of 64.

Del Potro has to be the story in men’s tennis this year. After missing two and a half months with a left wrist injury, the 2009 U.S. Open champion started his journey back to the top 10 with a great run at Wimbledon in June, and now the 2012 bronze medalist will go for gold and his third top five win against Murray tomorrow.

This tournament has proven to everybody on Tour that Del Potro is back as a serious contender.

What a day folks and it has only continued in the mixed doubles semifinals, and the women’s singles gold medal match.

Keep watching tennis, and stay with Lob and Smash for more great coverage and insight.