Juan Martin Del Potro, Richard Gasquet move to quarterfinals – 2012 Open 13
Juan Martin Del Potro defeats Nikolay Davydenko 6-7(6), 6-4 Retired
Fourth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, booked his place in the last eight, as his opponent Nikolay Davydenko decided to forfeit the match in the second round at the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires on Thursday. The score was tied at 6-7(6), 6-4 when
Davydenko was forced to quit due to a right foot injury. The contest lasted for one hour and 58 minutes.
Del Potro and Davydenko served brilliantly throughout the opener. Neither player dropped his serve, equalising the score 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. There was nothing to separate the two players as they went neck-to-neck till 6-6. Finally, it was Davydenko
who captured last two points to clinch it 7-6.
In the second set, Del Potro needed a single break of serve to win 6-4.
At this moment, Davydenko opted to retire from the match, as he was having a severe pain in his right foot.
Talking to the reporters after the match, Del Potro said, "I’m getting confidence match by match. I made the final in Rotterdam playing good tennis, playing tough opponents. And here I have a really difficult draw, but I’m really glad to be playing this
tournament for the first time. It’s a really nice tournament."
The Argentine will face Richard Gasquet of France in the last-eight stage.
Richard Gasquet ousts Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-2
Fifth seed Richard Gasquet routed Igor Kunitsyn of Russia in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to qualify for the quarterfinals. The Frenchman needed just an hour and 13 minutes to undo Kunitsyn.
Both players held their serve in the first seven games of the opening set, taking the score 4-3 in Gasquet’s favour. The French drew first blood, breaking Kunitsyn in the eighth game and serving out the set 5-3.
Gasquet grabbed an early lead in the second set, as he broke the Russian in the third game and held his serve in the next game to go ahead 3-1. The right-hander carried on the slaughter and sealed the set 6-2.
The French player assessed, "I served well today and played good during the important moments. If I continue like this, I can go further in the tournament. I'm playing solidly and feel well this week. This is a great tournament and I always like coming back
here."
Gasquet trails 1-3 in the head-to-head record against Del Potro.
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