Regions Morgan Keegan Championships: Potro downs Isner at Memphis
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina defeated World no.24 John Isner 6-4, 6-3 at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships.
A year-long hiatus from the game due to injury has resulted in the Argentine being ranked at 224. In the first round tie, played at the Racquet Club of Memphis, the 22-year old wild card completely outplayed the American.
During the first set, Isner was the much better server of the two. He got 60 per cent of his first serves in, compared to Del Porto’s 52 per cent. He was also the more successful player off of first serve, as he won 78 per cent of the points on the serves
he got correctly, while his opponent only managed 71 per cent.
The Argentine was dominant on the second serve though; he used his huge forehand well to win 63 per cent of the points off of his own second serve, and 58 per cent off of his opponent’s. He also managed to save all three of the break points, while the North
American was forced to concede one out of two. This resulted in Del Porto taking the first set in a fairly straight forward manner, 6-4.
The second set was a rather easier affair for the Argentine. He improved his serve immensely, getting 84 per cent of his first serves correct, and winning an amazing 15 points out of 16 on said first serve. His under pressure opponent succumbed, landing
in only 47 per cent of his serves; he gave up two break points and failed to save either. With two breaks, Del Porto raced to victory.
This match marks a return of Juan Martin Del Porto to the upper echelons of tennis. As his first easy victory against a top-ranked opponent since his return from injury, it shall be carefully considered by all his potential opponents.
In this tournament, these opponents might include Lleyton Hewitt, who is on a similar fight back up the ranks as Del Porto. Others include top seed Andy Roddick and rising Canadian star Milos Raonic.
Tags: