Murray, Del Potro Advance In Rotterdam, Tsonga Upset; Dimitrov v Gulbis Thursday
- 14 Comments
The top two seeds in Rotterdam, Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Murray, both eased into the second round on Wednesday.
Playing with an injured left wrist, del Potro got past the red-hot Gael Monfils 7-6(6), 6-3.
“My left wrist is getting better,” del Potro said. “It’s improving day by day. I think I played 50 per cent slices. For the next match I will try to play more my regular backhand. I don’t feel pain at the moment, which is good. I will do my treatment now and hopefully be better for tomorrow.”
Murray later mastered Eduoard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-3.
“I moved well. For me that’s a big part of my game,” said Murray. “Sometimes at the beginning of weeks it can be tough to get used to a new surface in terms of your movement. But from the beginning of the match, I made it tough for him to hit any winners and kept making him play one extra ball. Hopefully at the week goes on I’ll start to hit the ball better with each match.”
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was sent home in a mild upset. The Frenchman fell to Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 in a second round match. The Zagreb champ, Cilic has now won his last seven matches.
“To beat Tsonga is always a great achievement, especially this early in the season,” said Cilic. “I think a great week last week in Zagreb has helped me to get in good form, to get to play a lot of matches. To win many [matches] in a row, that’s what I think every player is looking for in the beginning of the season. So it’s great to be in the quarter-finals.”
Tommy Haas also beat Fernando Verdasco. And Richard Gasquet ousted local favorite Thiemo De Bakker.
On tap on Thursday, del Potro meets French veteran Paul Henri-Mathieu while Murray takes on young star Dominic Thiem. The 20-year-old Austrian Thiem has is playing just his second career match against a Top 10 player.
In maybe the best match tomorrow, Grigor Dimitrov duels Ernests Gulbis. Tomas Berdych is also in action against Nicolas Mahut.
You Might Like:
Zverevs Go Down In 3 At Rotterdam; Berdych v Gasquet Thursday
Federer Steps On The Worm, Djokovic Cruises In Dubai; Gulbis-Dimitrov Thursday In Acapulco
Defending Champion Del Potro, Kvitova Out; Cilic Authors Take Down Of Murray In Rotterdam
Goffin Finally Stops Dimitrov, Thiem Upset In Rotterdam; Tsonga v Berdych Saturday
Murray, Del Potro v Monfils On Tap Wednesday In Rotterdam