Del Potro powers through to Estoril quarters
Juan Martin del Potro celebrated the start of his pre-French Open
campaign with a 6-1, 6-0 hammering of Portugal's Rui Machado to reach
the quarter-finals of the Estoril Open on Thursday.
Del Potro, the top seed and defending champion, was playing an ATP
match on the surface for the first time this season after winning two
clay Davis Cup rubbers at home in April when Argentina defeated Croatia.
Despite the scoreline suggesting otherwise, the 23-year-old
Argentinian admitted Machado had tested him as he looks to build his
form.
"I played well for only my first match after Davis Cup. The score
might not have looked it but he's dangerous on clay," said Del Potro,
who won his last title at Marseille in February, prior to a semi-final
in Dubai against Roger Federer.
A year ago, Del Potro arrived at the Estadio Nacionale ranked ranked
46th and unsure of his game after missing much of 2010 following wrist
surgery.
However then, the 2009 US Open champion dug deep to claim his first
title in the country with a final victory over Spaniard Fernando
Verdasco.
Now ranked a more respectable 12th, the Argentinian added: "I'm
pleased with my performance, this was good for a first match of this
part of the season." Victory over Machado improved Del Potro's 2012
record to 24-6 ahead of his semi-final against two-time champion Albert
Montanes on Friday.
Montanes, seeded seventh, advanced to last eight with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
win over American Bobby Reynolds.
In the women's event, Italian top seed Roberta Vinci reached the
semi-finals by defeating Russian seventh seed Nadia Petrova 6-2, 1-6,
6-4.
Estonian Kaia Kanepi, the number six seed, upset Czech fourth seed
Petra Cetkovska 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro defeated Spanish compatriot Silvia
Soler-Espinosa 6-3, 6-3. AFP |