Juan Martin Del Potro recovers from a slow start to beat Nicolas Mahut in three sets on Wednesday in Sydney. In Auckland, meanwhile, John Isner wins a three-setter of his own to ensure a showdown against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Apia International: (1) Juan Martin Del Potro d. Nicolas Mahut 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Del Potro won only a single game in the opening set of his first 2014 match, but he eventually found the range to get past Mahut after one hour and 50 minutes in the Sydney second round on Wednesday. The top-seeded Argentine blasted 15 aces and withstood 11 aces off his opponent’s racket to book a quarterfinal date with Radek Stepanek.
Mahut surrendered a mere five points in four first-set service games and capitalized on both of his break points. Del Potro, though, faced no break points in the second and seized control of the match with a decisive break at 3-3 in the third. Mahut refused to give up and he earned two break chances in the very next game, but Del Potro erased both with huge first serves. A more routine hold at 5-4 finally allowed the world No. 5 to get the job done.
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Heineken Open: (3) John Isner d. Lukas Lacko 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-2
Isner shook off an ankle injury that popped up at last week’s Hopman Cup to hold off Lacko in one hour and 50 minutes (yes, it was exactly 23 seconds shorter than Del Potro vs. Mahut) during second-round action in Auckland on Wednesday. A typical first set for Isner saw him fire 10 aces without double-faulting, but he could not break serve and was pushed to a tiebreaker. The 14th-ranked American promptly dominated it seven points to one.
The tide turned with an early Lacko break in the second followed by a brief ankle or knee scare for Isner. The underdog Slovak served out the middle frame of play but could not sustain his level in the decider. Isner pocketed two breaks and dropped only five points in his last four service games to wrap things up in comfortable fashion. Next up for the 2010 champion is Philipp Kohlschreiber, who rolled over Horacio Zeballos.
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