Juan Martin Del Potro plays Kevin Anderson in a battle of the big servers in the semi-finals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna today.
Del Potro turned in an impressive performance in Friday's quarters to see off 2001 champion Tommy Haas 6-2, 6-4 and keep his admittedly slim hopes of making the ATP World Finals alive.
"It is going to be very tough, but if I win all the tournaments to Paris [the BNP Paribas Masters] it is possible. I don't feel pressure about the Finals, I just want to finish the year as strongly as I can. I'm almost Top 10 again, but with my ranking today I am very happy," Del Potro said.
"I hope to have more confidence in my tennis and fitness next year. I am happy to reach another semi-final this year. It is important for my comeback and for the future."
Anderson was just as impressive as he ended Jurgen Melzer's hopes of a hat-trick of Vienna titles, sending the third seed packing 6-3, 6-3.
"I feel like I’m playing really good tennis right now and enjoying playing indoor tennis, which we don’t play too often," Anderson said. "I’m feeling a lot healthier [than over the summer] and my motivation levels are pretty high. Any points you get now can help next year with the ranking."
Del Potro won their only previous match 6-4, 6-4 in Delray Beach at the start of the year.
Prediction: Del Potro in two.
