For Nadal - who has already won the French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open - the US Open is proving to be as elusive a prize as it was for Bjorn Borg.
The blue courts of Flushing Meadows - just as the green grass of Wimbledon was for Ivan Lendl - have not proved to be a happy hunting ground for the man from Majorca; this was the second year in a row that he has been beaten in the semi-finals.
Yet there is no disgrace in losing to the number six seed - a player who looks to have the broad shoulders to cope with the burden of being tennis's next big thing, a burden that has proved too much, too often for Andy Murray.
Nadal, with his forehand in full working order, held a break point in game three, but when it slipped from his grasp the 6ft 6inch Del Potro stooped to pick up the initiative and with it a 3-1 lead.
The Argentine, who has started to collect tour titles with impressive regularity, is becoming a dab hand at leading from the front and withstood two break points on the way to clinching the first set 6-2.
With actress Charlize Theron watching, the crowd marvelled at Del Potro's monster of a first serve; a delivery which has been noticeably beefed up during the last 12 months - a year in which he has closed the gap on rivals such as Andy Murray.
Despite his height the 20-year-old is also a fine baseline operator with a hard-hitting style reminiscent of the pre-injury Nadal.
Seizing control of a lengthy rally he engineered and then took a break point for a 3-1 lead in the second set.
By this stage facing break points was becoming water off a duck's back to the match-leader, he made Nadal hit and miss to save another one on the way to moving 4-1 clear.
Nadal could not convert any of the six break points he was presented with during the game.
Using the long reach that a prize fighter would kill for Del Potro was by now firing outright winners off both forehand and backhand flanks and this, together with a high ace-count, helped him to 6-2.
He looked even more comfortable sitting on a two-set cushion when he broke at the start of the third.
When Nadal sent a forehand long after two hours and 19 minutes of action he conceded the set, and with it the match, 6-2.
The Spaniard should be applauded for the way he has come back after a two-month injury lay off - his fortitude in the face of ongoing abdominal problems has contrasted with the way Andy Murray meekly surrendered his last-16 match.
But it was Del Potro's day and it could be his championship if he can reproduce the form he has shown throughout this last fortnight.
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