“It was a really tough match, [it] was very close [and] we had very good rallies,” said Ferrer. “I'm very happy with my game. Maybe this year, I am playing more aggressive with my shots. I am going to the net more to finish the points.”
Del Potro praised Ferrer, saying, “David is playing so well. He won two tournaments in a row and he's playing with a lot of confidence. David was better in the important moments, like at the end of the match. He broke my serve by playing really well. He never missed a return in the last game. So he took his chances in the match. I think that was the key.
Ferrer, who has beaten del Potro on clay, grass and hard-courts, seemed in control at the start of the second. But del Potro pierced holes in Ferrer’s defence and took advantage of three straight forehand errors to break for a 3-1 lead.
As the match passed the two-hour mark, del Potro began his resurgence. At 4-2, Ferrer went from 30/0 to 30/40 and a powerful forehand winner got del Potro back on serve. But, having done the hard-work, del Potro fell to 0/40 at 4-5, after Ferrer hitting successive forehand winners. The World No. 5 jumped in the air to celebrate as del Potro struck a backhand long to end the two-hour and 17-minute encounter. Ferrer lost eight points on serve in the decider.