Second round marathon match concludes at the Australian Open.

Juan Martin Del Potro and James Blake went the distance at the Australian Open on Wednesday night, in what may have been the match of the tournament so far.

Blake, the big underdog in the match, actually held a 2 sets to 1 lead and looked to eliminate Del Potro, the champion of the 2009 US Open.  However the Argentinian won the 4th set easily, 6-3, to force a 5th and deciding set.

Del Potro appeared to secure victory when he broke Blake at 5-5 in the 5th to take a 6-5 lead.  However, before serving for the match he received some treatment on his lower back and then wasted his opportunity to serve out the match, as Blake broke back.

With no 5th set tiebreaker played at the Australian Open, these two would exchange service games until one of them took a two game lead.

After Del Potro broke Blake at 8-8, with a series of very impressive groundstroke winners, Del Potro once again served for the match, this time at 9-8.  Although Blake played a scrappy game to try and stay in the match, Del Potro was victorious as he converted his first match point with an unreturnable serve.

The result of the match has a few implications.

Firstly, the loss prevents Blake from resurging up the ranks as he has trailed off in the last 6 months.  He was a 4th rounder at the Australian Open last year and failing to defend those points should contribute to his rank drifting even further.

Secondly, the match may suggest that Del Potro should not be among the favorites in the betting futures market for the 2010 Australian Open.  Marathon matches in the early rounds for high seeds like Del Potro, even when they are won, reveal vulnerability and contribute to fatigue that may factor in to a loss in a later round.

While Del Potro will be a heavy favorite against his third round opponent Florian Mayer, both Marin Cilic and Andy Roddick still lurk in that section of the draw, not to mention Fernando Gonzalez.

Here are the odds at this time for the key players in Del Potro's section although they are subject to change as results come in:

1.  Juan Martin Del Potro, +750 (15/2), Paddy Power
2.  Andy Roddick, +2500 (25/1), Sportingbet
3.  Marin Cilic, +3300 (33/1), Sportingbet
4.  Fernando Gonzalez, +10000 (100/1), Sportingbet

At this point you really have to love both Cilic's and Roddick's price as they have some really long odds despite showing great form so far.

Go to Sportingbet to bet on Australian Open futures.