Del Potro makes winning return

Delray Beach - Juan Martin del Potro made a winning return to tennis on Tuesday after a 11-month injury layoff, romping past America's Denis Kudla in straight sets in the first round of the Delray Beach Open.

The injury-plagued 27-year-old Argentine faced an uncertain future after missing most of the last year with a wrist problem which required two separate bouts of surgery.

But del Potro, aiming to resurrect a burgeoning career which included a 2009 US Open championship victory, showed no signs of ring rust as he overwhelmed Kudla in just over an hour.

Tuesday's win carried an echo of a previous comeback for del Potro, who won the Delray Beach crown in 2011 also after returning from a wrist injury.

Del Potro, who climbed to number four in the world rankings in 2010, is currently at 1,042nd in the world.