Juan Martin Del Potro beats Kevin Anderson, advances to the semi-finals at the Delray Beach International Championships
Wildcard Juan Martin Del Potro got off to a strong start on his debut run at the Delray Beach International Championships on Friday night, when he defeated Kevin Anderson of South Africa in their quarter-final.
The debutant ousted his opponent in straight sets at 6-4, 6-4, taking 83 minutes to qualify for the semi-finals of the event.
It was an evenly poised match with both men putting up a great show of professional tennis. Del Potro proved to be the more resilient among the two and converted his opportunities very well to gain the edge in the game.
Anderson started off very well in the first set and won his first four serve games with ease. The South African didn’t craft any break chances in the opening set but failed to save one, which cost him the set.
No serve breaks were seen in the first eight games of the contest as both players held their serve to keep the scoreboard ticking on even terms. Anderson won 14 out of 16 first serve points with his 64 percent first serve accuracy. The Argentine also delivered 66 percent of his first serve on target while cracking four thudding aces. Potro was was sloppy on his returns however, as he only secured two off the 16 first return points.
Del Potro stung the first crucial break of the match in the ninth game of the first set, which left him serving for the match at 5-4. The Argentine squandered two set points in the tenth game before he converted the third to wrap up the first set at 6-4. It took barely 40 minutes for Del Potro to gain the 1-0 lead in the match.
The 22-year-old Argentine won 87 percent of his first serve points in the second set to take the score to 2-2. Anderson didn’t provide any lose point to his opponent to come on top until the fifth game. The South African gifted the first serve break to Del Potro in the second set, when he coughed a double fault to put his opponent in lead 3-2.
It was an easier task for Del Potro to serve out of the contest at 5-4, booking a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament. The Argentine will be facing second seed American, Mardy Fish, who overcame his quarter-final opponent Andre Falla in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
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