Raonic, Sock Power Into Delray Beach Second Round

February 22, 2017 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff

Top-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic powered his way into the Delray Beach Open second round on Tuesday, blowing past American qualifier Tim Smyczek 6-1, 6-4.

“Overall, I have to be happy. I haven’t played much tennis over the last few weeks, and I really put in as much work as I could over the last week to get into my best shape here, and now I’m here,” said Raonic. “I’ve won my first match and I hope I can continue. I feel good.”

Raonic saved all four of the break points he faced and converted on three of his four chances to move past Smyczek in just 56 minutes.

Up next for last year’s Wimbledon finalist is Croatia’s Borna Coric, who beat Santiago Giraldo of Colombia 6-2, 6-3 in his opening match on Tuesday.

Third-seeded American Jack Sock defeated Moldova’s Radu Albot 6-4, 7-6(2) to set up a matchup with Spain’s Guillermo-Garcia Lopez, who got past Dustin Brown of Germany 6-3, 6-3.

Juan Martin del Potro made a winning return to the court, advancing to the second round in Delray Beach with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Kevin Anderson on Tuesday.

“It’s not easy in my first match to show good tennis but I think I did well. I survived the first game of my serve and then I started to serve much better. I started to feel the ball better and better,” said del Potro, who hadn’t played a competitive match since Davis Cup last November. “And I think for the conditions tonight, we made a good tennis match and always the most important thing is, when you don’t feel 100 percent, is trying to win the match. And I did.”

Del Potro moves on to play Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Donald Young upset second-seed Ivo Karlovic 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to advance on Tuesday. The American followed up his semifinal run in Memphis by upending the big-hitting Karlovic and will take on fellow American, Taylor Fritz, next.

Americans Steve Johnson and Jared Donaldson were other winners on Tuesday, as was Steve Darcis.

 Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia took out 36-year old and fan favorite Tommy Haas in a hard-fought 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-2 victory. 

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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