NEW YORK (AP) – When the U.S. Open decided to give 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro a wild-card invitation this year, it rankled American player Steve Johnson.
What if, Johnson wondered aloud, del Potro was to wind up beating someone from the United States in the first round of the country’s Grand Slam tournament?
That didn’t come to pass: del Potro faced a fellow Argentine in his opening match at Flushing Meadows. As it happens, though, del Potro’s opponent in the second round in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night will be – yes, you guessed it – Johnson himself.
As it is, Johnson barely made it to this intriguing matchup.
In the first round on Tuesday, the 19th-seeded Johnson, who won two NCAA singles titles at Southern California, dropped the opening two sets and needed to save six match points before coming all the way back to beat Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3. Johnson saved four match points while trailing 5-2 in the third set, then two more while down 6-5 in that set.