Juan Martin Del Potro reaches quarterfinal at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
Argentinean star Juan Martin Del Potro overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 7-6, 7-6 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinal at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open in California.
The match was played on a highly competitive note and some wonderful tennis was displayed by both players. The first set went into tie breaker after the players held on to their serve however the Argentine was able to get the better
of his opponent in the battle of nerves taking the set 7-6 (3).
The second set followed a similar pattern as both players refused to give up. In the tie-breaker, it looked as if the match would go to the final set after Potro took time out due to a stomach problem, however, he came back from
being down 1-6 to level the tiebreak 7-7. Having the psychological advantage in the contest, Potro pressurized the challenger even further and stood his ground to seal the match in two sets after 2 hour and 21 minutes of breathtaking play. The 22 year old
executed his powerful double-handed backhand shot to perfection and made Kohlschreiber run for his money.
Porto played aggressively from the baseline and was exceptional in the serve department of the game generating high speed serves to put his opponent under pressure. He smashed 13 aces in the match.
Ranked 90th in the world, Potro, was once ranked as high as world number 4. He won his maiden Grand Slam title at 2009 US Open. However, he missed several tournaments due to a wrist injury and went through a major medical
operation in 2010. Since his return to the tour in early 2011 he has achieved a significant rise in the ATP rankings winning his first ATP title of the season at Delray Beach where he defeated the in-form Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in straight sets. The Argentine
is on an impressive return to the elite group in men’s tennis and will be hoping to fetch good results at the ATP Master 1000 e
The 27 year old Kohlschreiber on the other hand certainly put up a good fight and had a formidable defense saving six out of 8 break points in the match. But he failed to create enough break chances for himself and made 5 double
faults at crucial stages which eventually played a big role in a tight match.
The German is best known for stretching the “Big Stars” of men tennis to the limits in important encounters at grand stages. He had a good start to the season reaching the quarterfinal at 2011 Auckland where he lost to eventual
champion David Ferrer. Ranked 36th in the world, Kohlschreiber expressed his disappointment at letting the opportunity slip away after doing all the hard work.
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