Juan Martin Del Potro topples Fernando Verdasco to move to last 16 – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Ninth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, remained on course to win his second title of the season, ousting 19th seed Fernando Verdasco in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(6) in the third round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells,
USA on Tuesday.
The Argentinean, Del Potro, did not take much time to grab the lead, breaking Verdasco in the third and fifth games to build a 5-1 lead. Former world number seven, Verdasco, restored some respect by holding his serve in the next
game to reduce the trail to 2-5. Del Potro served out the set in the eighth, capturing it 6-2.
The 6ft 6in tall relied on his powerful serves, hitting three aces and 80 percent of the first deliveries. He converted 16 of the 20 of them into points. The Argentinean saved the only break threat he came across and availed both
opportunities he received in the opener.
Verdasco raised the level of his game after losing the first set pretty badly. The Spaniard and Del Potro grabbed their serve till the end to even out the score at 6-6, taking it to a tie-breaker. Verdasco wasted three consecutive
chances to break the Argentinean in the 10th game. Del Potro went down 4-6 in the tie-breaker but save both set points, clinching four straight points to bag it 7-6(6).
The Spaniard served better than Del Potro in the second set, firing five aces and 73 percent of the first serves. However, the Argentinean had the edge on ground strokes.
It took Del Potro one hour and 45 minutes to go past Verdasco in an evenly contest match.
A relieved Argentinean said, talking to the media people, "Verdasco is really difficult opponent, especially in the beginning rounds of the big tournaments. He's very tough, very dangerous, and I think I made a good match. I [was]
lucky in the second set when I saved five set points, and then in the tie-break, he made the double fault to give me my first match point. I got the opportunity and I took it."
He added, "I am still very nervous from that moment when Fernando played much better than me in the second set. Sometimes you are lucky to win these kinds of matches."
Del Potro is pitted against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in the fourth round. The Uzbek upset fifth seed David Ferrer in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the round of 32.
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