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Del Potro battles past Beck
With players like Federer, Berdych, Gasquet and Davydenko through to the quarterfinals, it seems like it can be a promising final in Rotterdam. 3rd seed Juan Martin Del Potro joined the party, when he beat Slovakian qualifier Karol Beck 6-4, 7-5 in the first match of the evening session on Thursday. Del Potro will face the winner of Thursday´s last match, Jesse Huta Galung against Viktor Troicki, seeded 7.
Del Potro got off to a flying start, racing to a 4-0 lead. The tall Argentine had received treatment after the third game due to a nosebleed, but was soon ready to play again. But Beck, who last beat a top 10 player back in 2005, refused to give up. Beck broke back to reach 2-4, but then got broken again, just to break Del Potro one more time. But that was as close as he got in the first set, and Del Potro took the set 6-4.
The second set was a close affair, until Del Potro would eventually break at 5-5. The Argentine showed his great combination of power and feel, when he delivered a perfect drop shot after a long rally. He took full advantage and served out the match. "It was difficult", Del Potro said. "The balls stay rather low, which is tough for me. But if the crowd appreciates me, I would like to come back in the coming years. The atmosphere is fantastic".
