Del Potro puts out Portuguese

Basel (Switzerland), Oct. 26: Fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro started his bid for a third Swiss Indoors title on Wednesday by outlasting Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.

The injury-plagued Argentinian lifted the Basel trophy in 2012 and 2013 — beating home favourite and eight-time winner Roger Federer in both of those finals.

Del Potro, who only started his 2017 season in late February after his latest wrist injury, is making a late charge for a spot at next month’s ATP Finals in London after winning the Stockholm Open last weekend.

If Pablo Carreno Busta loses his second-round match in Vienna on Friday against Del Potro’s fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman, the South American would move into the eighth and final qualifying spot for the year-end tournament.

Third seed David Goffin, who stands provisional eighth in the rae to London, kept his hopes alive by beating Korean Chung Hyeon 6-4, 6-1.

Del Potro wasted no time in getting on top of the 60th-ranked Sousa, winning the first six points and breaking three times en route to the opening set.

Sousa was muchimproved in the second as he started a comeback, finally breaking Del Potro before serving out the set to force a decider.

In the third, Del Potro again found his lethal form, cruising to the victory by firing a trademark forehand winner on his second match point.

— AFP