When it comes to an ATP event, there are no guarantees, certainties or easier matches. All those things, Juan Martin del Potro, learned out on his own skin in his first match in acapulco, an ATP 500 event that put in quite a draw in 2017 with one of the biggest names in the ATP circuit at its start. The Argentine, who last week played his first ATP event of 2017, is seeking for a solid foundation to keep the upward trend of 2016. After being defeated by Milos Raonic at Delray Beach, he is one of the stars of the Mexican event in Acapulco.
Del Potro edged Frances Tiafoe
For the first round match, del Potro (32 ATP) saw himself playing against Frances Tiafoe (89 ATP), a 19-years-old rising star from the United States. It was their first showdown in the ATP circuit, and the Argentine started it well winning the opening set by 6-4 converting the 3rd set point he had. The next set drastically changed as Tiafoe took the upper hand. At some point, the young American had a 3-0 lead, and del Potro had no chances to cut down the deficit on the scoreboard. Eventually, it was 6-3 for Tiafoe, and the clash went into a decisive 3rd set. Both players took no unnecessary risks as the match was heading into a tie-break. The decisive act was dominated by del Potro's vigorous play.
Surviving the scare, del Potro booked himself a spot in the next round where Djokovic awaits.
Djokovic seeks revenge
Last summer, del Potro clinched an Olympic silver medal in Rio. To get there, he put in a great week of tennis. In the opening match, he sent off Novak Djokovic whose Olympic ambitions were prematurely killed. Now, the main stage from Acapulco will witness to a revenge match as the Serb tennis star is in a desperate need to outshine solid opposition in order to reclaim his dominance over the ATP circuit.
In head to head stats, Djokovic leads del Potro by a huge margin having an 11-4 overall score against the Argentine who's seeking to reenter the top 30 this week. If he'll get past Djokovic, he has a good chance to advance deeper in the tournament securing a consistent ranking improvement.
