rogerfederer.com - Roger starts strong in Cinci

Roger starts strong in Cinci

Roger dominated in his return to Cincinnati, taking the second round match against Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-5 in 92 minutes.

“I expected a tough match with Juan Martin for obvious reasons, and it went better than I thought,” Roger said. “I thought I played a wonderful first set and a very good second set, too. That was obviously enough tonight. I don’t think I really allowed Juan Martin to be able to play the game he usually plays.”

It is our champ's first victory over del Potro since the 2009 French Open. It also marked their first meeting on American soil since Del Potro won against Roger for the 2009 US Open title.

Roger raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set, serving strong and firing a total of 12 aces during the match. Del Potro managed to defend five break points in the second set, but could not hold through until the end, making an unforced error on match point.

Roger will now play James Blake in the round of the last 16.