Del Potro gets 2017 campaign off on a winning note
MIAMI: Former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro got his season off to another successful start at the Delray Beach Open, winning in straight sets and overcoming an opening set tumble in the process.
Del Potro wasn’t at his best, especially on his backhand. But he used his powerful serve and blasted enough forehand winners to beat the South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4.
Del Potro, who also started his ATP Tour season last year at the Delray Beach event, hammered five aces and won 84% of his first serve points in the first round battle between two former tournament winners.
In another marquee match-up, Canadian top seed Milos Raonic blasted 10 aces in downing American qualifier Tim Smyczek 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round.
Del Potro reached the semi-finals of this event last year before going on to win 32 matches and being named the ATP Tour’s comeback player of the year for the second time.
The 28-year-old Argentine, who won the 2009 US Open title, has endured three left wrist and one right wrist surgeries in his career.
On Tuesday, Del Potro looked tentative at times but he was also able to generate enough pace on the ball to thwart Anderson’s serve and volley attack.
He fought through four double faults and a grazed right knee he suffered in a fall in the first set.
Del Potro won the Delray Beach title in 2011 and Anderson took the 2012 crown.
Australian sixth seed Bernard Tomic became the first seed ousted at the hard court event, with Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis rallying to deliver a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 defeat to the world No. 31.
And 37-year-old second seed Ivo Karlovic followed shortly thereafter, falling 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) to 69th-ranked American Donald Young despite 19 aces from the world No. 20 Croatian.
Raonic, who had beaten Smyczek in the first round of the 2015 US Open in their only prior meeting, booked a second-round match-up with 49th-ranked Croatian Borna Coric, who eliminated Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-3.
“Overall I have to be happy,” Raonic said. “I haven’t played much tennis over the last few weeks and I really put in as much work as I could over the last week to get into my best shape here and now I’m here.
“I’ve won my first match and I hope I can continue. I feel good.”
World No. 4 Raonic is seeking a ninth career ATP Tour crown. He has won at least one title in each of the past six years and last year reached his first Grand Slam final, losing to Britain’s Andy Murray at Wimbledon.
Darcis, ranked 57th, faced only one break point over the final two sets in fighting back to bounce Tomic in 90 minutes, booking a second-round match against streaking Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who lost Sunday’s Memphis Open final to American Ryan Harrison.