Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Del Potro on fire as he downs Dimitrov to reach final

February 16, 2013 22:00 IST

Argentine Juan Martin del Potro is determined to go one step further than his runner-up finish 12 months ago at the World Indoor Tournament as he reached the final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday.

Following the shock defeat of Roger Federer on Friday, second seed Del Potro is now favourite to add his name to the banner of champions wrapped around the Ahoy Arena by beating either Julien Benneteau or Gilles Simon in Sunday's showdown.

Juan Martin del PotroDel Potro has been in devastating form and reached the title match without dropping his serve all week.

From the moment the lanky Argentine broke his Bulgarian opponent's service in the third game, when Dimitrov missed an easy volley, there seemed to be only one winner.

"My serve is really going well and that gives a lot of confidence for the rest of my game plan," Del Potro said "I'm satisfied with this win against a player with a great potential who can be top 10 of 20 in the near future."

Despite his favourite status in the final, 2009 US Open champion Del Potro did not want to talk up his chances.

"It was a bit of surprise that Roger went out but it doesn't please me as I don't pay any attention to the other half of the draw before the final," he said.

"It doesn't matter who I play tomorrow, I just have to stick with my game plan and play it hard."

Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.