NEW YORK — Juan Martin del Potro was aching for a second crack at a Grand Slam semifinal, another chance to prove he has what it takes to win at that stage.
By early Thursday evening, he knew he’d get that opportunity at the U.S. Open, thanks to a wind-swept 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over 16th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia.
What the sixth-seeded del Potro did not know by the end of the night, however, as rain washed over Flushing Meadows: the opponent he will have to beat to reach his first Grand Slam final.
That’s because the quarterfinal between six-time major champion Rafael Nadal and 2007 Australian Open runner- up Fernando Gonzalez was postponed by showers during the second set.
The first rain delay, of about 75 minutes, came at 2-2 in the second set, after Nadal won the opening set in a tiebreaker. The second interruption came at about 10:20 p.m., with Nadal holding a 3-2 lead in the second-set tiebreaker.
At midnight, tournament officials suspended play for the night, sending Nadal and Gonzalez home.
And leaving del Potro still waiting.
The Nadal-Gonzalez match was scheduled to resume today, not before noon MDT — following the first women’s semifinal, between defending champion Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, which was to begin at 10:30 a.m.
The breaks might have been helpful to Nadal, who called for a trainer after the first set. It appeared Nadal was being checked for a flare-up of a stomach muscle problem that bothered him earlier in the tournament.
“In the first set, it was very, very bad,” Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni, said in a second-set interview with ESPN2. “Now, it’s a little better. It’s difficult. We must win this set.”
In the other women’s semifinal, Caroline Wozniacki faces Yanina Wickmayer in a matchup of 19-year-olds.
AT A GLANCE
A brief look at Thursday’s play:
Weather: Rain suspended the evening match between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez; Nadal held a 3-2 lead in the second-set tiebreaker. Mostly cloudy and windy during day, high of 69.
Winner: Quarterfinals: No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro.
Loser: No. 16 Marin Cilic.
Stat of the day: 9-0 — The Williams sisters’ record in women’s Grand Slam doubles finals. They advanced to this year’s U.S. Open final on Thursday by beating Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova in three sets.
Quote of the day: “I was thinking, every point, do the same, try to put the ball in the court. When you fight that way to the final point, you have many chances and that’s what happened today.” — Juan Martin del Potro
On TV today: KCNC-4, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Associated Press
