Soft win for Juan on the hard court
● Del Potro won hard- court titles this year at Indian Wells and Acapulco. The fourth- ranked Argentine star has 22 career victories, the biggest on a hard court in the 2009 US Open.
Los Cabos ( Mexico), Aug. 2: Juan Martin del Potro opened his summer hardcourt season with a 7- 5, 6- 3 victory over American Marcos Giron on Wednesday night in the Mifel Open.
Playing for the first time since losing to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, the top- seeded del Potro set up a quarterfinal match against Egor Gerasimov.
Del Potro won hard- court titles this year at Indian Wells and Acapulco. The fourth- ranked Argentine star has 22 career victories, the biggest on a hard court in the 2009 U. S. Open.
Gerasimov, from Belarus, outlasted fifth- seeded defending champion Sam Querrey of the United States 7- 5, 5- 7, 7- 6( 6). Querrey swept the Los Cabos and Acapulco events last year.
Fourth- seeded Adrian Mannarino of France topped Sweden’s Elias Ymer 6- 0, 6- 2. The Frenchman will play Cameron Norrie, the
British left- hander coming off a semifinal appearance in Atlanta. Norrie beat eighth- seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6- 3, 6- 3.
Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka also knocked off a seeded player, topping seventh- seeded Taylor Fritz of the United States 76 ( 3), 6- 1. Nishioka will face second- seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy.
Third- seeded Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina got past Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano, 76 ( 0), 7- 6 ( 5). He’ll play American Michael Mmoh, a 7- 6 ( 1), 7- 6 ( 2) winner over Canada’s Peter Polansky.