Help
3/29/11 5:25 AM | Ricky Dimon
Juan Martin Del Potro and Mardy Fish will kick off Tuesday's proceedings in Miami. A place in the quarterfinals is at stake.
Juan Martin Del Potro and Mardy Fish will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers and second time in two months when they meet in the Sony Ericsson Open fourth round on Tuesday afternoon.
The head-to-head series is tied up at two wins apiece, and this will be their fifth consecutive hard-court encounter. Del Potro prevailed most recently 6-1, 7-5 in this season's Delray Beach semifinals and his other victory over Fish was a 6-2, 6-1 decision three years ago in Los Angeles. Fish won their first clash 6-1, 7-6(9) four seasons ago in Memphis and he took a 2009 San Jose showdown 6-3, 6-4.
Del Potro is doing exactly what Fish did last summer; flying under the radar before heating up on North American hard courts. Del Potro missed most of 2010 due to wrist surgery, but to say he is back on track would be an understatement. The 51st-ranked Argentine won the Delray Beach title and reached the Indian Wells semifinals before losing to Rafael Nadal. So far in Miami he has taken out Ricardo Mello, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and world No. 4 Robin Soderling.
Fish has defeated a pair of Frenchmen by identical scorelines to book his spot alongside Del Potro. The 15th-ranked American extended his 2011 record to 10-5 by making quick work of both Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet (6-4, 6-3 in each match). He also owns two ATP semifinals this season (Delray Beach and Memphis in back-to-back weeks).
"He's a great player," Del Potro said of Fish. "I'm a very good friend of him. He's a nice person, too. It will be a special match because I know him. He knows my game. We play many times against each other. And here in fourth round, every player is playing really well. So will be a nice match for both."
It could be especially nice for Del Potro, who is the underdog on paper according to the seedings. However, he has the decisive edge in current form and last month's Delray Beach encounter cannot sit well in Fish's mid. Look for Del Potro to treat the Argentine faction of the USA-vs.-Argentina crowd to a competitive two-set victory.
Find the latest tennis odds at Unibet.com
Tell a friend »
I am glad Delpo is back...he has such a powerful game...he should beat Mardy...and he should look for not spending much time on the court...he is just warming up for the BIG upcoming matches...
natashao , 3/29/11 11:21 AM
I have to say, Fish really pulled it out of the bag here
Halfway through that second set, Delpo was in control and the fishmeister was just hanging in there, and then from nowehere as the tiebreak approached, he got his second wind, and took control again. Well done Mardy!
amity , 3/30/11 3:19 PM
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
I know they play doubles together. Vamos Polito!
mara002 , 3/29/11 10:29 AM