Del Potro gets off the mark at World Tour Finals
Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina reacts during his ATP World Tour Finals tennis match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain in London, November 24, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
LONDON (Reuters) - Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro put himself back in contention at the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday, beating Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-4 3-6 7-6 in front of another near sell-out crowd at London's O2 Arena.
The U.S. Open champion, needing a win after losing to Britain's Andy Murray when round-robin action got under way on Sunday, failed to take a match point at 5-3 in the decider and saw another slip away in the following game as Verdasco hung on.
He forged 6-1 ahead in the tiebreak, however, and this time made no mistake, securing victory when Verdasco hit a forehand into the tramlines.
Tournament debutant Verdasco is now relying on Roger Federer beating Murray in the evening match in Group A to keep alive his slim hopes of reaching the semi-final.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
