Murray, Del Potro set up blockbuster
WORLD No 1 Andy Murray set up a French Open blockbuster against Juan Martin del Potro yesterday, the latest chapter in what has developed into an epic rivalry.
Murray, last year’s runner-up, reached the third round with a bruising 6-7 (3/7) 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7/3) win over Slovakia’s Martin Klizan.
Del Potro, playing in Paris for the first time in five years, went through to the last 32 after Nicolas Almagro retired in tears with a knee injury.
The giant Argentine was hailed for his sportsmanship when he embraced the sobbing, stricken Spaniard.
Out on Suzanne Lenglen court, world No 50 Klizan smashed 57 winners but 67 unforced errors as his allor-nothing game proved in vain against top seed Murray.
Murray, looking ahead to tomorrow’s clash, said: “It will be very tough. Juan Martin is playing a lot better than his ranking.”
Del Potro, no stranger to injury, made the third round after Spanish opponent Almagro, 31, quit in tears in the third set with a knee injury.
In a moving conclusion on Court Two, Del Potro sat next to a sobbing Almagro, offering him water and trying to console him.
Just moments earlier, Del Potro also went to the Spaniard’s aid when he collapsed at the back of the court, weeping.
Del Potro, 28, had taken the first set 6-3 before Almagro claimed the next by the same score. They were locked at 1-1 in the third when Almagro quit.
Del Potro also suffered an injury scare himself when he pulled up, holding his left groin in the second set.
Third seed Stan Wawrinka, the 2015 champion, reached the last 32 for the 10th time with a 6-4 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 win over Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Wawrinka will face Italy’s Fabio Fognini for a place in the fourth round.
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, ranked 56th in the world, made the most of Nick Kyrgios’s 42 unforced errors to progress to the third round, where he will face Britain’s Kyle Edmund.
In the women’s event, crowd favourite Eugenie Bouchard’s struggles continued with a 6-3 6-0 loss to Latvian 17th seed Anastasija Sevastova.
Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova reached the third round for the first time with a 6-2 4-6 6-3 win over Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Pliskova will face Germany's Carina Witthoeft in the third round.