Del Potro makes sterling comeback since Wimbledon loss to Nadal

LOS CABOS ( Mexico): Juan Martin del Potro (pic) opened his summer hard court season with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over American Marcos Giron in the Los Cabos Open.

Playing for the first time since losing to Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, the top-seeded Del Potro set up a quarter-final 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.

Gerasimov, from Belarus, outlasted fifth-seeded defending champion Sam Querrey of the United States 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6) on Wednesday. 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 semi-final appearance in Atlanta.

Norrie beat eighth- seded 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 7-6 (7-3), 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, 7-6 (7-0), 7-6 (7-5).

He’ll play American Michael Mmoh, a 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-2) winner over Canada’s Peter Polansky. — AP