Juan Martin Del Potro outfoxes Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-final – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
Argentine number one, Juan Martin Del Potro, ended the cameo of the Ukrainian tennis ace, Alexandr Dolgopolov, in the quarter-final of the Mutua Madrid Open. On Friday, the 11th ranked Argentine snatched the win in straight
sets 6-3, 6-4 taking just an hour and 23 minutes.
Del Potro started the match in emphatic fashion; wining four points on the trot and bagging the first serve in the fourth game of the match. He consolidated his position further with a serve hold that also registered a resounding
lead of 4-1.
Dolgopolov tried his luck in the seventh game by improvising a little bit and he was rewarded with a breakthrough but failed to hold serve in the following game that gifted the lead back to the Argentine. Del Potro made no mistake
this time around and held his serve to round off the first proceedings. He won 36 points compared to 26 of his rival and smashed two aces. He squandered four breakpoint opportunities but clinched two crucial ones that were good enough to power down the Ukrainian.
The second set witnessed a tight battle at least for the first half. Both players bagged held serves in the first four games to push the scores of 2-2. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old Ukrainian, he slipped on the court during
the rally in the fifth game that allotted a breakpoint to his rival. Del Potro hung on to the lead until the end and showed his immense strength. He was never tested on his serves that shows his sublime run of form and a very strong sign that he can upset
his next opponent, the sixth seed Czech, Tomas Berdych.
Earlier in the day, Janko Tipsarevic denied the number one player of the world, Novak Djokovic, of the semi-final spot by winning the match in straight sets. Djokovic is not the only player to have witnessed a major upset; his
arch rival Rafael Nadal faced a stunning result against Fernando Verdasco, on Thursday. Everyone is blaming the blue clay court but the former world number one, Roger Federer, seems to have adapted to the new surface perfectly and will be seen in action in
the semi-final against Tisparevic.
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