Roger Federer takes on Juan Martin Del Potro in a repeat of that US Open final in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters.
Del Potro came of age on that dramatic night in New York two years ago when he dethroned five-time champion Federer. However hopes of another great sporting rivalry were swiftly dashed as Del Potro missed all of the 2010 season with a wrist injury and it’s still unclear whether he will return to his slam winning best.
Del Potro has already faced two of the top four this year, posing a few problems for Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal but not coming close to beating either. He will fancy his chances against Federer who looked fairly vulnerable to a big hitter in Montreal last week where he was outplayed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Having said that, Federer has a formidable record at Cincinnati, a place where he’s played some of his best tennis, winning it for the past two years. Del Potro’s performances this summer have also left something to be desired. He was outplayed by Ernests Gulbis in Los Angeles and stopped in the second round of Montreal by Marin Cilic.
However, he has consistently raised his game for Federer over the past couple of years, coming close to knocking him out at the 2009 French Open and also beating him in the Masters Cup at the end of the year.
