Juan Martin Del Potro downs Karol Beck to reach the quarterfinals – World Tennis Tournament 2012
Former world number 4, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, eased past Karol Beck of Slovakia in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 in the round of 32 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on Thursday. The third
seed took an hour and 49 minutes to beat Beck.
Del Potro came roaring into the match, winning Beck’s serve twice in the first four games to go up 4-0. The Slovak tried his best to come back into the set, getting a couple of breaks back but he lost one more of his own to lose
the set 4-6.
The main reason behind Beck’s poor performance was his serve. The Slovakian committed three double faults and hit just 52 percent of the first deliveries. Beck won just five of the 16 second serve points in the opener.
Both players served quite well in the second set. They did not allow each other to break in the first ten games, equalising the score at 5-5. Finally, it was Del Potro who made the breakthrough in the eleventh game and held his
serve in the next to clinch the set 7-5.
The 6ft 6in tall, Del Potro, bombarded the Slovakian with his mighty serves. The Argentinean smacked five aces and sealed an amazing 18 of the 19 first serve points. Del Potro did not give Beck any chance to break in the second
set.
Del Potro assessed, regarding his game, "I played better than the first round and the game was completely different. I served well and was trying to hit winners with my forehand. When I got my chance I took it. I need to play better
in my next round. I need to play 100 percent with my forehand and serve and then anything can happen."
The Argentinean has won seven of the nine matches he played in 2012. The right-hander started the season at the Apia International Sydney, going down at the hands of Marcos Baghdatis 6-7(7), 4-6 in the quarterfinal. A winner of
nine championship titles, Del Potro performed well at the Australian, as he dropped just one set on his road to the last eight. However, he could not go past the 16-time grand slam champion, Roger Federer, losing to the Swiss legend in straight sets 4-6, 3-6,
2-6.
The Argentinean will play world number 24, Viktor Troicki of Serbia, in the quarterfinal. The seventh seed, Troicki, downed world number 232 Jesse Huta Galung in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-3 in the round of 16.
This will be the fifth meeting between Del Potro and Troicki. The Argentinean was victorious in all the four previous meetings between these two.
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