What follows was in the Washington Post this morning. I also have it in the Legg Mason thread
I think Haas showed nice sportsmanship in his remarks. It is clear which of the two players is more used to dealing with the press!
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Del Potro Cruises to Another Win
Final-Bound Teenager Dispatches Haas for 18th in a Row
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 17, 2008; Page D03
Juan Martín del Potro exhibited no outward glee after topping Tommy Haas in the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic yesterday afternoon. Instead, del Potro exhaled after winning the match, 6-2, 6-1. Then he slowly jogged toward the net, blew a kiss to the sky and with the perspiration of playing 82 minutes and the promise of winning his 18th straight match, del Potro shook Haas's hand.
It was a matter of routine for the blossoming Argentine star, who seemed the person least surprised by his convincing victory.
At the postmatch news conference, del Potro slouched in his chair and fiddled with his cellphone until the first question was asked. He spoke with the pace of someone who just tapped the snooze button.
Little rattled del Potro. Not Haas, not the pressure of Stadium Court and a streak that garners him more attention on a daily basis, not a room full of reporters asking questions in a language different from his native tongue.
The first question posed to del Potro was whether he has forgotten how to lose.
He snickered, waited a beat and, with little hitch in his appearance or voice, provided an honest answer:
"Yes," he said. "A little bit."
If del Potro acted as if yesterday's victory did not merit much greater celebration than a game point, it was because little about the match indicated the result would be different. Del Potro entered as the second seed and Haas the fourth seed, but the difference seemed much greater between the player in the sleeveless shirt, del Potro, and the player in the backwards cap, Haas.
"It seems like he hasn't really been pushed that much in his matches," Haas said, "including me today."
If del Potro beats Viktor Troicki in the final, it will be his fourth consecutive tournament victory. Not since Wimbledon has anyone found a way past del Potro.
Haas could do little to become the first. Del Potro won 25 of 29 first-serve points, a staggering 86 percent compared with Haas's 47 percent. Haas never broke del Potro's serve. Del Potro broke Haas's serve five times.
Del Potro seldom beat himself, which allowed him to command the pace of the match. He recorded two double faults and 15 unforced errors compared with Haas's three double faults and 26 unforced errors.
After Haas took a 2-1 advantage in the first set, del Potro went on to win 11 of the next 12 games. With a rare combination of height and agility -- del Potro is 6 feet 6 and listed at 172 pounds -- he plays with both power and finesse.
"Once a guy that feels confident starts to get more confident, it's tough to come back," Haas said. "It seems like I was a step slower, playing with his kind of power, point after point."
Del Potro noticed the same syndrome. Although Haas was the highest-seeded opponent del Potro has played in Washington, del Potro finished Haas with more ease than any of his first three matches.
"Tommy was getting tired more than me," del Potro said.
Given the tournament's early upsets -- just three seeded players were among the eight quarterfinalists -- there is no guarantee del Potro will win the final. But given the way he has played in the past month, there is little reason to suspect he will slip.
A victory today will extend del Potro's winning streak to 19 matches. Just 34 other times in tennis history has a player gone on a longer streak, and del Potro has a good chance of continuing the streak beyond today.
The list of players del Potro has beaten during this run includes Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish and now Haas. None of the matches even reached a third set.
Haas said he considers del Potro a dark horse for the U.S. Open title. Although there are bigger names in tennis, there are few hotter players. And del Potro still is only 19, meaning he might be just beginning to scratch the surface. Today's championship, then, provides Washington a final glimpse at a player who is establishing himself as one of the brightest young stars in the sport.
"If he continues this way, you have to think he'll be in the top 10 pretty soon, if not the top five," Haas said. "He's one of the guys that's going to be very dangerous."
