Juan Martin del Potro set two milestones in his straight sets victory over Lukas Lacko at the SAP Open on Thursday, but only one will be recorded in official statistics.
The one that counts is that the 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory put him through to the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time since his career was derailed by a nagging wrist injury in 2010.
The other? For the first time in his lift, he managed to knock the net off its moorings with the power of his serve. “I’m serving very strong,” del Potro said, chuckling at the net buster, which caused a ten-minute delay. “That’s the reason.”
The hard-hitting Argentine smacked his way past Lacko with punishing, penetrating forehands that pushed his opponent behind the baseline most of the match. Del Potro held off two set points in the second, forced the tiebreaker and finished it off with a strong serve he only lost once.
“I feel different sensations with my body and my mind,” he said. “But I’m happy to be in a tournament again after a year out. I’m improving my game slowly. I’m still improving, that’s important for the future and for the season too.”
He will face two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt on Friday for a spot in the semifinals. Hewitt eliminated Argentina’s Brian Dabul 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.