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11/12/09 12:16 AM | Ricky Dimon
Juan Martin Del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez will do battle in Paris on Thursday night. A place in the quarterfinals of 2009's final regular-season tournament is at stake.
Juan Martin Del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez will be meeting for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday night. Gonzalez leads the head-to-head series 3-1, having scored two victories in 2006 before prevailing in five sets at the 2007 Australian Open. Del Potro won their most recent encounter 7-6(2), 6-3 this summer at the Legg Mason Classic.
Not only did Del Potro go on to win his second straight title at the Legg Mason, but he eventually captured his first Grand Slam by defeating Roger Federer in a five-set U.S. Open final. The 21-year-old Chilean is an outstanding 50-13 for his 2009 campaign, which also includes a title on the hard courts of Auckland. Del Potro struggled with a wrist injury following his triumph in New York and he lost his opening matches in both Tokyo and Shanghai. The world No. 5, however, showed signs of his former self by ending Marat Safin's career on Wednesday in Paris with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
Gonzalez's year has been nowhere near dramatic as that of Del Potro, but the 29-year-old Argentine has quietly put together another impressive season. He registers at a stellar 11th in the world despite missing a fair amount of time with knee problems. Gonzalez owns 39-15 match record in 2009, including a semifinal finish at the French Open and a run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. He reached the Kuala Lumpur semis at the start of this fall swing, but went a combined 3-3 in Beijing, Shanghai, and Basel. Gonzalez lost to John Isner in the Basel opening round, but he got revenge on the 6'9'' American on Wednesday by prevailing 7-5, 7-6(3).
With neither man having played particularly good tennis since the U.S. Open, this one could go either way. Gonzalez still has an extremely remote chance of qualifying for the World Tour Finals and a solid opportunity of at least finishing the year in the Top 10, so he will be motivated. Del Potro, of course safely into the the London year-ender, wants to gain some much-needed momentum after missing almost all of the Asian and indoor swings. Expect a tight three-setter, with Del Potro emerging victorious.
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I'm starting to like Gonzo more and more...great shots!!!
OllyK , 11/13/09 12:02 AM
Gonzo retired?!! Noooo..Pity! :/ What happened?!! He didn't seem seriously injured...
OllyK , 11/13/09 12:58 AM
What a shame. That was some of the best tennis we've seen all week in spite of both men being visibly utterly exhausted. I imagine Gonzo handed the match to Del Boy simply because he was incapable of continuing. Potty must have been relieved because he looked as though he could barely walk and had been taking longer and longer to return to the baseline after each point.
ed251137 , 11/13/09 1:12 AM
Fabulous agressive tennis, 7 match points saved by Delpo... But, I feel sorry for Gonzo...He really tried hard!
OllyK , 11/13/09 1:17 AM
one of the most bizarre matches of the year. Both men were hurt, taking injury timeouts at the same time, but still played well somehow.
Del Potro (abdominal) seemed to be closer to retirement than Gonzo (knee), but Gonzo was done mentally after losing the second.
RickyDimon , 11/13/09 4:51 AM
Fernando Gonzalez
Juan Martin Del Potro
BNP Paribas Masters
vamosrafa, Feb 9, 2010 1:42 PM
croc, Feb 8, 2010 9:45 PM
sals3, Feb 8, 2010 4:04 PM
Kelli, Feb 8, 2010 12:40 AM
afrodite7, Feb 7, 2010 10:58 PM
carrie, Feb 9, 2010 2:02 PM
jyannis, Feb 9, 2010 1:53 PM
fedexfan, Feb 7, 2010 11:27 AM
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Go Gonzo win your 2nd match in Paris !!
smr , 11/12/09 2:09 AM