It is all set for the Rio Olympics men's singles final rematch on Saturday at the second Grand Slam event of the season -- Roland Garros. The match between world number one Andy Murray and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro will highlight round three in Paris.
Murray, 30, is coming off a hard-fought four-set win earned over unseeded Slovakian Martin Klizan in the previous round. Murray failed to impress on Thursday but still ended on the winning side against Klizan. Slovak Klizan was a good challenge for the top-ranked tennis player early on in Paris, having made the 30-year-old dug deep in their clash.
Del Potro reached the third-round of the tournament after a Nicolas Almagro retirement at one-set-all and 1-1 in the third set. Ironically, the Argentine was on the brink of sending himself packing as he was struggling with his movement on the court. But, in the end, it was Almagro who was forced to call it a quit.
good news: set for Delpo
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 1, 2017
bad news: trainer for Delpo
dramatic scenes on Court 2. Delpo looked like he was gonna retire, then Almagro took his own medical timeout & punched his chair in disgust.
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 1, 2017
neither Del Potro nor Almagro can move. The rest of this match should be........interesting.
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 1, 2017
oh my God. He is SOBBING. pic.twitter.com/tLkyuMjsof
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 1, 2017
First meeting on clay since Madrid 2009
Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro are prepared to square off for the third time on clay (Rome 2008, Madrid 200) in their respective careers and for the first time this season when they meet at Roland Garros.
It will be a third straight best-of-five-sets clash between the two, having met in the Rio Olympics final and Davis Cup semi-final between Great Britain and Argentina last year. The head-to-head record is on Murray's side, who has a 6-3 lead over the former world number four, but both players have captured a win over each other on the dirt.
Keys to the match
Andy Murray will need to establish a good play from the baseline and not let Juan Martin del Potro dictate the points with his huge groundstrokes. Del Potro has the ability to do some damage with his big shot selection, but such a slow surface as clay is will make it tougher for the Argentine. Add to it that Murray is an excellent returner and defender.
Murray will certainly be sending a lot of his shots toward del Potro's backhand as he will be looking to expose that weakness in the game of the Argentine. Mixing, trying to make 198 centimeters tall del Potro run, should also be the case on Saturday. Also, Murray would love to have his serve click, with which he has been struggling recently.
Murray's campaign won't come to an end
Andy Murray is the favorite to defeat Juan Martin del Potro and advance to the Roland Garros last-16 stage. Though Murray is not in his best form, it will still be a big ask for the 29th seed to edge out Murray. Murray's returning and defensive abilities could create long exchanges, which certainly won't favor del Potro.
The fact that del Potro's health is not at 100 percent won't help the Argentine. After a surprising loss suffered to Gastao Elias in Lyon last week, the 28-year-old said that he was not sure whether he will play at Roland Garros. Ultimately, he decided to give it a shot, but it is not all ideal clearly. The longer match goes, the bigger chance Murray wins.