Winning return for Del Potro; Muguruza powers into 2nd rd
Muguruza wins last 10 games en route to victory; Canadian Milos Raonic withdraws from meet with wrist injury
Juan Martin del Potro made a winning return to the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday when the Argentine ground out a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-0 victory over 10thseeded Czech Tomas Berdych to reach the second round on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old, back in Cincinnati after a four-year absence from the U.S. Open warmup event, powered down 17 aces to rally past Berdych after he surrendered the opening set following a listless start.
Berdych found his rhythm early in the match and broke Del Potro for a 3-1 lead and did not lose a point on his powerful serve until the 10th game.
But as Del Potro, a semi-finalist at the tournament in 2012 and 2013, worked his way back into the match, Berdych slowly began to lose confidence and failed to win a single game in the deciding set.
“During the second set, in the end, I played my best tennis,” 2009 U.S. Open champion Del Potro told reporters. “I hit so sure with my forehand. I made good serves and I took all my chances to win.
“Mentally, I was strong enough to keep fighting and I think he got down after losing that second set. Then, when I broke his serve early in the third (set), my game started improving and I played much better than him.”
Australian Nick Kyrgios also opened his campaign with a welcome victory as the world number 23 beat Belgian ninth seed David Goffin 6-2, 6-3 in the afternoon heat to reach the second round.
In other action, third seed Dominic Thiem of Austria was barely tested in his 6-3, 6-2 second-round win over Italy’s Fabio Fognini, while Jack Sock beat fellow American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.
Earlier in the day, big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, the sixth seed, announced his withdrawal from the tournament due to a lingering left wrist injury.
WIN FOR MUGURUZA
Garbine Muguruza got her final U.S. Open tune-up event off to a flying start as the Wimbledon champion stormed by Brazilian qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-0 to reach the third round of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday.
Second seed Simona Halep overcame an early deficit to beat American qualifier Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-1 and also reach the third round, while Venus Williams beat Alison Riske 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the second.
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko was upset 6-4, 6-2 in the first round by unseeded Serbian Aleksandra Krunic and Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded 10th, was another to suffer an early exit, losing 6-4, 6-4 to German Julia Gorges.
Spanish fourth seed Muguruza, fresh off a quarter-finals loss to eventual winner Elina Svitolina at Toronto last week, needed only 65 minutes to earn the straight sets win over Haddad Maia and book her spot in the round of 16.
After trading breaks with Haddad Maia over the course of the first four games, Muguruza found another gear and went on to win the final 10 games of the match.
PAES-ZVEREV OUT
Leander Paes and his German partner Alexander Zverev bowed out of the Cincinnati Open, losing their doubles first round match on Wednesday.
The Indo-German pair was outplayed by the Spanish duo of Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-2, 6(2)-7, 6-10 at Court 11 here.
The Spanish pair will now take on fourth seeded American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in the second round.
“I know him (Paes) quite well. He’s a good guy. Unfortunately we lost today but it was fun playing with him,” Zverev was quoted as saying by the Association of Tennis Professionals’ official website.