Share

Del Potro overcomes slow start to advance at French Open

Paris - Juan Martin del Potro said his "main goal" at Roland Garros is still to regain full fitness following a recent injury absence, after reaching the French Open second round on Tuesday.

The Argentinian eighth seed recovered from a set down against Chilean Nicolas Jarry to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 and set up a clash with Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.

The former US Open champion only returned to action after a knee injury earlier this month, but has looked in strong form, reaching the Italian Open quarter-finals before losing to world number one Novak Djokovic despite holding match points.

"I think I'm playing well at the moment, but my main goal is still the knee, my health," said Del Potro.

"And I'm looking forward to being 100 percent in the second part of the year, trying to change my goals on tour and if I get that, I will be happy.

"Once I get in good shape again, I can be focused on the results in different tournaments, different surface(s)."

Del Potro reached the semi-finals in Paris last year before a defeat by eventual champion Rafael Nadal, but played down his chances of going further this time around.

"I'm in a period of transition, rehabilitation of my knee and reaching perfect health and trying to focus again on tennis and results," he added.

The 30-year-old, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2018 US Open final, has now won 33 consecutive Grand Slam first-round matches dating back to 2007.

Results from the third day of the French Open on Tuesday (x denotes seeding):

Men

1st round

Fabio Fognini (ITA x9) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-3, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3

Federico Del Bonis (ARG) bt Guillermo García-López (ESP) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Taylor Fritz (USA) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-1, 6-4, 6-1

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x18) bt Steve Johnson (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Dusan Lajovic (SRB x30) bt Thiago Monteiro (BRA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Elliot Benchetrit (FRA) bt Cameron Norrie (GBR) 6-3, 6-0, 6-2

Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Blaž Rola (SLO) 6-0, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)

Alexander Zverev (GER x5) bt John Millman (AUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3

Kyle Edmund (GBR x28) bt Jeremy Chardy (FRA) 7-6 (7/1), 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Karen Khachanov (RUS x10) bt Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4

Lucas Pouille (FRA x22) bt Simone Bolelli (ITA) 6-3, 6-4, 7-5

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Alejandro Davidovich (ESP) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 6-7 (7/9), 6-0, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG x8) bt Nicolás Jarry (CHI) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

Women

1st round

Victoria Azarenka (BLR) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Caroline Garcia (FRA x24) bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-2, 6-4

Anna Blinkova (RUS) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 6-3, 4-6, 8-6

Kurumi Nara (JPN) bt Dalila Jakupovic (SLO) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3

Bianca Andreescu (CAN x22) bt Marie Bouzková (CZE) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4

Magda Linette (POL) bt Chloé Paquet (FRA) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2

Daria Kasatkina (RUS x21) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 6-2, 6-3

Mónica Puig (PUR) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 7-5

Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Harmony Tan (FRA) 6-3, 6-1

Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) bt Zhu Lin (CHN) 6-1, 6-1

Karolína Muchová (CZE) bt Anett Kontaveit (EST x17) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2



We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE