NEW YORK - A weary and wounded top-ranked Rafael Nadal retired from his U.S. Open semifinal while trailing Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 on Friday, sending the Argentine back to the Flushing Meadows final for the first time since his 2009 triumph.
Nadal, who had never before retired from a U.S. Open match, showed signs of distress almost from the start as he limped noticeably after a grueling 69-minute opening set.
Grimacing with every sudden move, the 17-time Grand Slam winner called for the trainer during the changeover on serve at 2-1 in the second.
The defending champion had his knee massaged and re-taped and bravely continued through the second set before telling the umpire he was unable to continue.
"I think it was two-all in the first, 15-love, something like this in the first set, that I felt (something)," said Nadal. "I said to my box immediately that I felt something on the knee.
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"After that, I was just trying to see if in some moment the thing can improve during the match.
"But no, was not the day. I waited as much as I can. You could imagine very difficult for me to say goodbye before the match finish but at some point you have to make a decision."
It was the second time this year that the No. 1 player has retired from a Grand Slam as he also quit during his quarterfinal against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open in January.
Del Potro, who also has had his career disrupted by injuries, was not happy to get the victory the way he did but the big-hitting Argentine will now get a chance to raise a Grand Slam trophy nine years after his first.
The third seed will face Serbia's Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.
"It's not the best way to win a match," said Del Potro, who also beat Nadal at the same stage of the 2009 U.S. Open to reach what had been his one and only Grand Slam final. "I love to play against Rafa because he's the biggest fighter in this sport. I'm sad for him."
Djokovic beat Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his seventh final at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic, this year's Wimbledon champion, kept Nishikori under relentless pressure, carving out 17 break-point opportunities and winning 80 percent of his own first serve points to win in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
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The 31-year-old Serb, who was beaten by Nishikori at Flushing Meadows in 2014, improved his head-to-head record against the Japanese player to 15-2.
Women's final set
A year after Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka were both caught up in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, both will be trying to make history in the U.S. Open women's final tonight.
For Williams, the joy of giving birth for the first time last September was quickly followed by a series of complications that led to multiple life-saving surgeries.
At the same time, precocious Japanese talent Osaka, who grew up idolising Williams, was left wondering if she would ever make it through to the second week of a major after another early exit.
Twelve months on and the duo will contest a high-stakes final where the prize on offer will not only be the $3.8 million winner's check that is up for grabs.
For Williams, victory would allow her to tie Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
But standing in her way will be a determined Osaka eager to become the first Japanese player to win a singles major.
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Williams will undoubtedly have the support of her home crowd but there will be no shortage of love for Osaka, who has won the admiration of New Yorkers over the last fortnight as much for her red-hot game as her cool-headed demeanor.
Osaka and Williams have played against each other once before, at Miami in March, and it was the Japanese upstart who used her formidable power to topple her idol in straight sets.
"Even when I was a little kid, I always dreamed that I would play Serena in a final of a Grand Slam. Just the fact that it's happening, I'm very happy about it," Osaka said after her semifinal win over 2017 runner-up Madison Keys.
