Juan Martin del Potro on Tuesday made a winning return to the Western and Southern Open, grinding out a 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-0 victory over 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych to reach the second round.
The 28-year-old, back in Cincinnati after a four-year absence from the US 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.
Photo: AFP
However, 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 US 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,” he said. “Then, when I broke his serve early in the third [set], my game started improving and I played much better than him.”
Del Potro faces American qualifier Mitchell Krueger in the second round.
Australian Nick Kyrgios also opened his campaign with a welcome victory as the world No. 23 beat Belgian ninth seed David Goffin 6-2, 6-3 in the afternoon heat to reach the second round.
Other than in the first game when he had to climb out of a 0-40 hole, Kyrgios experienced few problems on serve and even secured three breaks against Goffin, who had to take a medical time out for a knee injury during the match.
“He obviously wasn’t at 100 percent today, but you know I’m not at 100 percent either, so it was a bit of a battle,” said Kyrgios, who has struggled with an array of injuries throughout the season. “I served well at crucial moments. I’m feeling okay. I think as long as I can keep putting in performances like these and being able to compete I think I’m okay.”
In other action, third seed Dominic Thiem of Austria was barely tested in a 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 wrist injury.
In the women’s singles, Garbine Muguruza got 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.
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.
In the women’s singles, Taiwan’s Chuang Chia-jung exited as she and partner Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic lost 4-6, 6-4, 11-9 to Raquel Atawo and Coco Vandeweghe of the US in the first round.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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