Nadal looked to be heading for a routine victory when he led by a set and 4-2, but Isner came charging back into contention. The 6’9’’ American levelled at 4-4 and captured the tie-break after racing to a 4-1 lead. Nearing another tie-break in the third set, Nadal ambushed Isner ripping two deep returns and racing to the net. At 5-6, 15/40, Isner dug himself out of trouble with four unreturned serves and then dominated the tie-break, maintaining an early three-point cushion to leave Nadal reeling.
Down two-sets-to-one at Roland Garros for just the second time (he lost to Robin Soderling in a four-set, fourth-round match in 2009), Nadal upped the ante. "What it came down to was the way he played in the fourth and fifth sets; I haven’t ever seen tennis like that," Isner later conceded. "That’s why he is No. 1 in the world and one of the greatest players ever."
The Spaniard broke Isner’s famed serve twice to force a deciding set, in which he struck early for a 2-1 lead. Isner kept battling, but Nadal maintained the service break and completed victory in just over four hours with a nervous hold to 30.
"[At the end of the third set] I thought I was close to being out," admitted Nadal. "I couldn’t find a way to break. I had 15/40 at 6-5 in the third set, but he was serving fantastic and they were tough moments for me. I only faced one break point in the while match, but I didn’t play well in the tie-breaks; I was too nervous in my opinion."
After overcoming the initial hurdle, Nadal did not drop another set en route to the final, where he defeated Roger Federer in four sets to triumph at Roland Garros once again.
In a re-match of the 2002 Wimbledon final, David Nalbandian saved two match points to oust former World No. 1 and 2005 Melbourne runner-up Lleyton Hewitt in a dramatic four-hour and 48-minute contest that had the Rod Laver Arena gripped until the very end.
Home favourite Hewitt would ultimately rue his missed opportunities. He led Nalbandian 3-1, 0/40 in the fourth set and had two match points at 7-6 in the 93-minute decider. Argentine Nalbandian held on, though, and broke Hewitt's serve with a sliced passing shot in the following game before closing out the pair's sixth meeting at 1:07 a.m. local time in Melbourne.
"It was the kind of match that nobody can forget," said Nalbandian. "I think we played very intense tennis today. We both fought until the very end." Hewitt, who suffered a first-round exit at his home Grand Slam for the fifth time, said, "It's disappointing to come so close and fight for so long and not be able to quite get the win tonight."
"We gave everything, it was a very emotional victory at the end of a tough year," Nadal said. "Winning in this way, we are very grateful to all the people of Spain. It was the best atmosphere I have experienced in my career."
Del Potro had worked his way back up to World No. 11 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings after falling as low as No. 485 following a serious wrist injury, and gave the Olympic Stadium in Seville a taste of his ferocious forehand as he battered six-time Roland Garros champion Nadal into submission in the first set. While 2009 US Open champion del Potro was to be commended for his inspired shotmaking, Nadal was left to rue missing seven of his eight break point chances.
Del Potro won his seventh straight game to break Nadal for a 1-0 lead in the second set, but it was then that Nadal responded. The Mallorcan began mixing up his service placement to keep del Potro guessing and gradually started making more inroads into the Argentine's service games. He was rewarded with a crucial service break in the 10th game to clinch the 57-minute set with a smash winner.
The third set was all about Nadal. The left-hander broke del Potro for a 2-0 lead with two straight forehand winners down the line and pushed on to secure a 5-1 advantage with a moment of brilliance: Del Potro attacked the net off a deep forehand stroke, but Nadal hit a running forehand winner down the line to get the crowd on its feet and leave the Argentine bench shell-shocked.
After securing the third set in 43 minutes, Nadal came up against more resistance from del Potro in the fourth set. The Argentine fought back from an early break deficit and surged into a 5-3 lead with aggressive tactics and clinical play at the net. He could not close out the set, though, despite coming within two points, and the momentum swung again as Nadal reeled off three straight games to serve for the match.
The drama was not yet over. Del Potro struck a powerful forehand winner to deny Nadal victory in the 12th game and force a decisive tie-break. It was to be the Argentine’s last push, though. Nadal improved to a 20-1 record in singles rubbers for Spain with a flawless finish, ending with his 26th forehand winner.
Federer went into the contest having lost his past three meetings with Djokovic and brought his best tennis to the table as he looked to reach the Roland Garros final for the fifth time. The standard of tennis was exceptional in the 70-minute opener, featuring 32 winners. After saving two set points at 4-5, Federer regained his composure to clinch the first set in the tie-break and quickly assumed a two-set lead after racing to a 4-1 advantage in the second set.
Djokovic took advantage of a dip in Federer’s form at the beginning of the third set and took control of the baseline rallies to garner an early service break, which he maintained to start an improbable fightback. With daylight fading, Djokovic was also battling Federer’s 174-0 record in Grand Slam matches when having won the first two sets, but looked set to push the match to a fifth set when he broke the Swiss in the ninth game of the fourth set. Federer immediately struck back, though, and saved two break points in the following game as the set went to a tie-break.
Djokovic cancelled out Federer's early advantage in the tie-break. But from 3-3, Federer won three straight points and closed out his 219th win at a major championship with his 18th ace of the match at 9:37 p.m. local time. "I really wanted to make it as physical as possible, which I was able to make happen," said Federer, who hit 48 winners in total. "I was really happy with the way I played. I thought it was a great match from both sides."
Djokovic conceded, "He played really good in the important moments. I congratulate him for a great performance. He really played well. We were, I think, part of a very good match, and it feels bad losing."
1. Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5, US Open SFHistory repeated itself in the US Open semi-finals as Novak Djokovic saved two match points to stun Roger Federer in an epic five-set clash for the second year in a row. If possible, the 2011 contest was made even more dramatic with Djokovic rallying from a two-set deficit for the second time in his career to prevail in three hours and 51 minutes. Five-time US Open champion Federer had appeared in command when he assumed a two-set lead, but Djokovic raised his level significantly to claw his way back into contention. The Serb won 93 per cent of points on first serve and committed just seven unforced errors in the following two sets as he forced a decider in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, regained control in the fifth set. He broke Djokovic’s serve in the eighth game and set up two match points at 40/15 on serve, with the Arthur Ashe crowd roaring its approval. An inspired Djokovic saved the first with a scintillating forehand return winner, and raised his arms to the crowd to receive their adulation. The shot served as a catalyst for his fightback and the Belgrade native converted his second break point chance as Federer double faulted. After levelling at 5-5, Djokovic broke the Swiss’ serve to 15 with another forehand winner before coolly sealing his 63rd win in 65 matches to leave Federer shell-shocked again.
"It was a very similar situation to last year," acknowledged Djokovic. "I had to take my chances. I was very close to being on my way back home. He was serving. He was 40/15 up. I managed to hit that amazing forehand return which got me back. I got a little bit of energy from the crowd, and I fought back. I needed to stay positive, and I definitely didn't want the French Open to happen again. It was an incredible last two games."
Just two months earlier at Wimbledon, Federer had surrendered a two-set lead in a Grand Slam match for the first time when he was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals. "It's awkward having to explain this loss because I feel like I should be doing the other press conference," said the Basel native. "But it's what it is. He came back; he played well. I didn't play so well at the very end. Sure, it's disappointing, but I have only myself to blame. I set it all up perfect, but I couldn't finish it."
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