Juan Martin del Potro survives three-hour battle at French Open

French Open
Juan Martin del Potro in action

It was another hard slog for Juan Martin del Potro at the French Open on Thursday as he battled pain and a brilliant opponent in Yoshihito Nishioka.

The eighth seed needed four sets to win his opening match at Roland Garros and his second-round clash went the distance as he beat Nishioka 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in three hours and 46 minutes.

Del Potro was broken three times in the first set as the Japanese player took early control.

And he then had his right knee taped, which will be a concern as he has just returned from a long-term injury, but guts it out to win the next two sets.

However, Nishioka forced a decider as he took the tie-breaker in the fourth, but Del Potro wasn’t to be denied as he broke twice in the fifth set.

He will face Australian Jordan Thompson for a place in the fourth round.

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