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Top seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro moved a step closer to the successful defense of his Swiss Indoors title when he beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 6-2 for a third time this season.
Del Potro's victory in 72 minutes was his 45th win of the season, leaving him with 11 quarterfinals or better from 16 events played. He said that the start was tough for him but then he gained confidence after breaking him for the first time, adding that he played a better match than in his previous one.
Del Potro is fresh from a successful Asia tour, winning the Tokyo title and reaching the Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic after beating Rafael Nadal.
The Argentine, ranked fifth in the world, has not dropped a set so far in Basel, where he beat five-time champion Roger Federer for the title a year ago in the Swiss player’s hometown.
Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images