Here's a breakdown of Juan Martin del Potro's five-set win over Roger Federer in the 2009 US Open final. It was the first US Open final to go the distance in 10 years, since Andre Agassi beat Todd Martin in 1999.

The final score: [6] J M del Potro (ARG) d [1] R Federer (SUI) 36 76(5) 46 76(4) 62

Set 1

As the two finalists lined up to be photographed ahead of the 2009 US Open men’s singles final, the gulf in height was immediately obvious as 6’6’’ Juan Martin del Potro towered over 6’1’’ Roger Federer. What was soon to become apparent was also the gulf in experience. While Federer prepared to contest a staggering 21st Grand Slam final, the 20-year-old del Potro was looking to open his major account with success in his first final.

Del Potro’s nerves on the occasion were instantly apparent as the Argentine made just one of his first nine first serves. Federer was quick to capitalise on his opponent’s slow start, imposing his game plan of hitting mostly up the middle to avoid giving the free-swinging del Potro any dangerous angles to work with – a weapon to which Nadal had fallen victim in Sunday’s semi-final – until he was ready to hit the forcing shot. The tactics paid dividends and Federer broke serve on his fifth opportunity in del Potro’s first service game with a forehand cross-court pass closing a terrific exchange between the pair.

With a 16th major title in his sights, Federer did not allow del Potro any time to settle into the pair’s seventh meeting and had chances in the sixth and eighth games to further extend his lead. Brave play from del Potro, faced with the daunting task of ending Federer’s five-year reign at the US Open, saw him keep the set competitive. Strong serving from Federer though saw him banish any hopes of del Potro clawing his way back into the set as he closed it out 6-3.

Set 2

It was Federer who continued to dominate in the early stages of the second set and two double faults from del Potro helped the Swiss to break serve immediately. Loose errors from Federer nearly proved costly for the 28 year old as del Potro was presented with his first three break point opportunities of the match in the fourth game. As had been the case throughout his 10th US Open campaign though, Federer rose to the challenge on the big points and snuffed out the danger to lead 3-1.

Del Potro had trailed by a set and 1-3 in his quarter-final match with Marin Cilic, but any repeat of the stirring comeback he staged on the occasion looked a distant possibility as more groundstroke errors from the tight Argentine handed Federer chances for a double break in the fifth game. Del Potro steeled himself though and held strong to keep the scoreline close.

While del Potro had made small inroads into Federer’s service games in the first set and a half, the Tandil native had earned just the three chances to make the breakthrough. So it was without much hope of a comeback for the Argentine that the Arthur Ashe crowd applauded Federer as he stepped up to serve for a two-sets lead. With Federer’s level having dropped just a little though, del Potro proved his champion-in-the-making pedigree as he pounced to take advantage. A blistering forehand winner up-the-line – proved to have clipped the line by Hawk-eye – would be the shot that swung the momentum in the match. It handed del Potro a break-back point and he duly converted with another pin-point accurate forehand winner past the net-rushing Federer.

Del Potro was a new man. Gone were the shackles of the first set and a half that restricted the right-hander from exhibiting the full force of his ground strokes that stunned World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. He grew in confidence as he forced the set into a tie-break and two blistering winners saw him open up a 6-3 lead. Nerves threatened to thwart del Potro once more as he missed a smash that would have given him the set, but he held strong to close out the set at the third time of asking with a forehand winner angled past Federer.

Set 3

Del Potro carried his momentum through to the start of the third set and earned a break point chance in Federer’s first service game courtesy of a backhand up-the-line winner. The Argentine could not find the line on his committed forehand on  the next point though and Federer was reprieved.

The respite was not to last long for the Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion, though, as del Potro created another chance to break in the seventh game and opened up a 4-3 lead as Federer misfired from the baseline. Perhaps with the prospect dawning of becoming the first man to take two sets off Federer in a US Open final, del Potro tightened up in the following game and Federer instantly hit back, leveling at 4-4 as an under-pressure del Potro could not find the court with his backhand pass.

Two of the hardest-hit forehands you will ever see drew audible gasps from the Arthur Ashe stadium crowd as del Potro opened up a 30/40 lead on Federer’s serve in the ninth game. The Swiss, though, did not blink and fine serving saw him hold on for 5-4.

The disappointment of squandering his break advantage continued to rankle with del Potro though and, not for the first time in the encounter, his inexperience on the biggest of stages rose to the surface as he committed back-to-back double faults from 30-30 in the 10th game to hand Federer a two-sets-to-one lead. As had been the case in 2005 (vs. Roddick) and ’06 (vs. Agassi) US Open finals, upon losing the second set Federer had hit back to regain the lead.

Set 4

Eager to press home his advantage early in the fourth set, Federer had del Potro under pressure at the first opportunity with two break point chances in the Argentine’s first service game. More blistering forehands from the Tandil native saw off the danger, however, as he held for 1-1.

Del Potro’s game plan had evolved into taking pace off his first serve to raise his percentage and to go for ever-more startling forehands. The high-risk strategy from the baseline continued to pay dividends for the Argentine as he saved a break point with a rifling forehand winner in the fourth game.

The World No. 6 defied his heavy legs to continue to work Federer and was rewarded with a break of serve to love in the fifth game – delighting the New York crowd eager for a fifth set.

Federer withstood an attacking barrage from del Potro to level the set at 4-4, and was just two points from a 16th major title when he led 15/30 on the Argentine’s serve at 4-5. Fine serving from del Potro, coupled with his 27th forehand winner of the evening, saw him hold for 5-5.

There was yet more drama to come as del Potro won four straight points from 40/0 on Federer’s serve to set up a break point. He was denied on that occasion and on a second opportunity before an ace from Federer propelled him into a 6-5 lead.

A love hold from the steely del Potro pushed the match into a second tie-break, which the Argentine once more commanded. He was gifted an early mini-break by a Federer double fault and did not look back as he ignored the fever-pitch tension on court to level the match as Federer sprayed a forehand wide.

Set 5

Del Potro blew open the match at the start of the fifth set, breaking Federer and holding twice to race to a 3-0 lead. The Argentine clubbed a forehand winner off a Federer second serve for 15-30 and then a clean crosscourt forehand winner past Federer at the net at 30-40 to clinch the break. Just as missed chances on break points had cost Federer dearly in lost Grand Slam finals to Rafael Nadal in the past, they were again his Achilles heel against del Potro. The Swiss had a break point in the third game to get the fifth set back on serve but, stretched wide, he hit a backhand long. It was Federer’s 22nd and final break point opportunity of the match. He converted just five of those chances during the match; a statistic every bit as telling as his disappointing first serve percentage of just 50.

In what would be his final service game of the match, del Potro showed no signs of nerves as he held to love. He continued to work on consistency on his serve; one first serve clocked in under 100 mph, but caught Federer in an awkward squatting position, forcing him to fend back a forehand from above his head.

At 2-5 Federer opened with unforced errors on both wings to fall behind 0-30. Another unforced forehand error put him down two match points at 15-40. He saved the match points and brought up game point with a big first serve. But soon after the Swiss hit his 11th double fault to go down a third match point and del Potro moved in for the kill - his first win in seven career meetings with Federer.