Marin Cilic clashes with Juan Martin Del Potro in one of the hotly anticipated clashes on day two of the Montreal Masters.
Del Potro reached the final of this event two years ago and he made a confident return, crushing Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-0, a performance which will have left tennis lovers salivating at the prospect of a potential third round meeting with Novak Djokovic.
Del Potro looked far more at ease than in Los Angeles a fortnight ago. “I [had more] confidence with my forehand and serves," he said. "After you win the first set, you feel sometimes you have the control of the match. It's what I felt today. I was trying to do different things. I played well.”
“I'm doing well this season. I already won two tournaments. I made the semi-finals. I beat Top 10 players. Many good things for me in this year. But, of course, I'm looking forward for the next Grand Slam. It's my favourite. And I will be there [for the first time since winning the title in] 2009, so it will be fantastic for my confidence.”
Cilic has started to find his game in the past few weeks, reaching the final of his hometown event in Umag and he made a solid start with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Andreas Seppi.
However he has only ever beaten Del Potro once and that was at last year's Australian Open when the Argentine was already struggling with his wrist injury. Their most recent encounter came at the Madrid Masters when Del Potro crushed Cilic 6-3, 6-0.
