Friday, January 10, 2014
Sports News

Del Potro, Tomic to meet in Sydney; Ferrer falls

Send a link to a friend 

[January 10, 2014]  By Nick Mulvenney

SYDNEY (Reuters) — Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro underlined his status as a dark horse for next week's Australian Open by hammering Dmitry Tursunov to reach the final of the Sydney International on Friday.

Spain's world number three David Ferrer, however, had his bid for a fifth Auckland Open title ended in the semi-finals by a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) defeat to unheralded Taiwanese Lu Yen-hsun.

At the Kooyong Classic, France's Gilles Simon turned his ankle badly and was forced to retire while trailing compatriot Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-3) 1-0.

While Simon, seeded 18th at the Australian Open, will have scans on the injury, Gasquet meets world number seven Tomas Berdych in Saturday's final.

Lanky Argentine Del Potro, who will be seeded fifth in Melbourne, hit nine aces as he brushed aside the Russian fourth seed 6-4 6-2 in just over an hour to reach his seventh final in the last 12 months.

Two of those finals were at Masters events in Shanghai and Indian Wells, an indication for some that Del Potro might be returning to the level of form that he reached to win the 2009 U.S. Open title before a wrist injury nearly ended his career.


The 25-year-old will meet Australian defending champion Bernard Tomic, who came from behind to beat Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-3, in Saturday's final at Sydney's Olympic Park.

Del Potro was seeded to meet world number one Rafa Nadal in the quarter-finals of the year's first grand slam, while Tomic was revealed as the Spanish 13-times grand slam champion's opponent in the opening round in Friday's draw.

World number five Del Potro and Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt are the only grand slam winners apart from Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray still active in men's tennis and the Argentine believes he might soon be challenging the leading four players again in major finals.

"I think I'm getting closer to the top four guys," he said on court.

"They are still playing such great tennis, but if I am fit, I will try to be dangerous for them."

[to top of second column]


STOSUR STRUGGLES

Another former U.S. Open champion, 2011 women's singles winner Sam Stosur, had a less encouraging day, going down 6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Hobart International to Klara Zakopalova.

Stosur received a lesson in taking opportunities from Zakopalova, who converted all five of her break points but saved eight of the 10 the Australian created.

Even worse news for Stosur is that on Friday she was drawn to play the 31-year-old Czech again in the opening round at Melbourne Park.

Zakopalova will face Garbine Muguruza Blanco in the final after the Spaniard thrashed compatriot Estrella Cabeza Candela 6-0 6-1 in the second semi-final.

At the Auckland Open, world number 62 Lu stunned Ferrer in two sets to bring the Spaniard's 14-match, three-year winning streak at the tournament to an end.

Lu will face big-serving American John Isner, who came from behind to beat Spain's Roberto Bautista 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4, in his first ATP final on Saturday.

Women's world number nine Angelique Kerber later takes on qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in the Sydney final.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

< Sports index

Back to top