DELRAY BEACH, February 20, 2019
Juan Martin del Potro, the top seed of the Delray Beach Open by Vitacost.com, had a triumphant return from an injury-induced four-month layoff. The 30-year-old Argentine defeaeted Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan 6-3, 7-5 on Tuesday evening.
Del Potro sent down 12 aces, winning 71 per cent of his first service points to secure victory in one hour and 50 minutes.
And hopefully many more to come 💪
Juan Martin del Potro picks up the 6-3 7-5 win over Yoshihito Nishioka in his return to the tour @DelrayBeachOpen. pic.twitter.com/j1eoWRsOrW
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) 20. Februar 2019
“It was a tough first round (matchup), He’s a smart player, very steady from the baseline and he’s very fast as well,” Del Potro said.
“I played well in specific moments of the match. I need to keep working on my legs because I was tired at end of the second set, but that’s normal, nothing strange. I‘ll see how I feel tomorrow when I wake up, and then if I’m OK I’ll come for practice and be ready for my next round.”
Next up for the World No. 4 will be reigning New York Open champion Reilly Opelka, who emerged victorious from the all-US-American affair with Tennys Sandgren, 6-4, 6-0 in only 55 minutes.
Tiafoe falls
No. 3 seed Frances Tiafoe lost in the opening round of the ATP 250 event 6-3, 6-7(1), 5-7 to British qualifier Daniel Evans. Evans won 52 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and 16 minutes.
“It was difficult conditions. I was just fighting as hard as I could,” Evans said. The 28-year-old Englishman will next meet South African wild card entry Lloyd Harris.
