The 31-year-old Spaniard claimed a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 win in the second semi-final of the day at Flushing Meadows in New York City.

He will now have the opportunity to secure a third US Open title and 16^th Grand Slam crown on Sunday (September 10).

"It means a lot," Nadal was reported as saying by BBC Sport.

"It has been an amazing season of course after a couple with injuries and troubles.

"To be back here in front of this amazing crowd, on this amazing court, and to have the chance to fight for another title is so important to me."

Del Potro, seeded 24^th, admitted after the match that he was tired, having beaten Austria’s Dominic Thiem in five sets in the round of 16, as well as Swiss legend Roger Federer in four sets in the quarter-finals.

"I've been exhausted after the Thiem match and the Roger match," the 2009 US Open champion said.

"I had flu during the week.

"So I had many problems before this match, but I was very motivated to play the semi-final in my best tournament.

"I think he (Nadal) just played better than me.

"He deserved to win."

Anderson reached the final by overcoming Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Both men were playing in their first Grand Slam semi-final, but it was the 28^th seed who came out on top at the expense of his 12^th-ranked opponent.

Anderson becomes South Africa’s first Grand Slam singles finalist since Kevin Curren, who reached the 1985 Wimbledon final three months after becoming a naturalised American citizen.

"It was an unbelievably tough match on one of the biggest stages in tennis," Anderson, who has lost all four of his previous encounters with Nadal, was reported as saying by BBC Sport.

"My emotion at the end kind of summed it up."

At 32 in the world, Anderson is the lowest-ranked men’s singles finalist at the US Open since the ranking system was introduced in 1973.

Action at Flushing Meadows is due to continue tomorrow with the final of the women's singles event.

Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens will contest the final after both came through their all-American semi-finals on Thursday (September 7).

The pair will be appearing in their first Grand Slam finals in what will be the first US Open final to feature two American women since Serena Williams beat sister Venus in 2002.