Juan Martin Del Potro plays a shot against Bernard Tomic during their Washington Open match on Thursday. (AFP)
AFP/Washington
Top seed Juan Martin Del Potro, playing twice in one day for the first time in his career, reached the quarter-finals of the Washington Open with two straight-set triumphs Thursday.
The 2009 US Open winner, a two-time Washington champion, dispatched American Ryan Harrison 6-1, 7-5 in 70 minutes, then returned five hours later to eliminate Australian 14th seed Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-3 in 69 minutes and advance at the combined ATP and WTA event.
“I feel good,” Del Potro said. “I was training hard before I came here. During the night you feel much better. In the first match the sun was harder for me. In the night I move much better.”
The 24-year-old Argentine advanced to a last-eight meeting with South Africa’s 21st-ranked Kevin Anderson, who ousted American Mardy Fish 7-6 (2), 6-1.
“For the first day of the hardcourt season, I had a very good day,” Del Potro said. “I beat two young players with good potential. I should play better all the matches.”
Del Potro and Japanese second seed Kei Nishikori both had their second-round matches postponed Wednesday by rain with two other matches suspended by showers, but Nishikori could not pull off twin wins at the $1.76 million event.
After opening with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over US wildcard Jack Sock, Nishikori was thrashed by 16th-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 6-2 in only 58 minutes. Baghdatis booked a quarter-final berth against US eighth seed John Isner, who won last week in Atlanta and kept alive his hopes for back-to-back titles with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Somdev Devvarman in their first meeting since Isner lost to the Indian in the 2007 US college final.
Australian Marinko Matosevic withstood a 19-ace barrage to defeat Canada’s Milos Raonic 7-5, 7-6 (7) and book a matchup with Russian Dimitry Tursunov, only the Aussie’s fourth career ATP quarter-final.
German third seed Tommy Haas won the last set of a rain-halted match to beat US qualifier Tim Smyczek 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, then beat Croatian 13th seed Ivan Dodig 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 for a quarter-final berth against Bulgarian Gigor Dimitrov.
On the women’s side, Russia’s Olga Puchkova struck a ball in anger and wound up defaulting away the match with Argentina’s Paula Ormaechea after the ball struck a line judge in the knee, sending him to the court writhing in pain.