Paris: World No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro outclassed Marin Cilic of Croatia, 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 6-3 7-5, to set up a fascinating semi-final clash of Roland Garros with top seed Rafael Nadal here on Thursday.
With this, del Potro progressed to the semi-finals for the first time since 2009. He is set to face Nadal on Friday.
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In the quarterfinal match, the Argentinian tennis ace, who had suffered a groin injury prior to the French Open fought back after losing the second set to Cilic.
The Croatian who kept del Potro on the toes tried his best to thwart the latter’s attempt of taking the match away. However, del Potro emerged victorious in the end after a hard-fought victory.
During the course of the match, del Potro confronted a spectator who was creating a ruckus in the stand, distracting him. He immediately reacted and gestured angrily to the spectator.
The Argentinian player then exchanged heated words with the umpire and threw his racquet in a fit of rage. However, he recovered well afterwards.
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It may be recalled that in 2009, del Potro lost to Swiss great Roger Federer in the semifinals of French Open. However, in the same year, the Argentinian avenged his defeat and won the US Open.
(With ANI inputs)