Del Potro Tested In Los Cabos Opener

Juan Martin del Potro was challenged in his first match of the North American hard-court swing, but the top seed still advanced, saving five of seven break points en route to a 7-5, 6-3 victory against American qualifier Marcos Giron at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos.

Del Potro was contesting his first match since falling in the Wimbledon quarter-finals to Rafael Nadal. The 25-year-old Giron, meanwhile, had fought through qualifying and his first-rounder in Los Cabos.

The Argentine will next face Belarusian Egor Gerasimov, who stunned fifth seed and defending champion Sam Querrey of the U.S. 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(6), overcoming 23 Querrey aces to advance in exactly two hours. The 25-year-old Gerasimov is No. 301 in the ATP Rankings and had not won a tour-level match this year before Los Cabos.

Brit Cameron Norrie made it back-to-back ATP World Tour quarter-finals by beating Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-3. Norrie reached the Atlanta semi-finals last week (l. to Harrison). He will next meet fourth seed Adrian Mannarino, who dropped only two games against Sweden’s Elias Ymer 6-0, 6-2.

A pair of #NextGenATP Americans had mixed fortunes. Michael Mmoh, 20, reached his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year (Brisbane) with a 7-6(1), 7-6(2) victory against Canada’s Peter Polansky. Mmoh will next meet Bosnian Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia. The third seed beat Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano 7-6(0), 7-6(5).

But Mmoh’s countryman seventh seed Taylor Fritz fell to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 7-6(3), 6-1. Nishioka will meet Italy’s Fabio Fognini or Quentin Halys of France in the quarter-finals.