Juan Martin del Potro beat Nicolas Almagro in Shangai to put himself just one match away from qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Argentinean eased through to the semi-finals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Friday with a straight sets 6-3 6-3 win over Almagro in a match that lasted just 72 minutes.
The 25-year-old was in sparkling form, winning 85 per cent of his first service points and making only eight unforced errors on the way to beating his Spanish opponent for the second time in a week, having beaten him in Japan last week as well.
Del Potro was pleased with the manner of his victory that set up a semi-final meeting with either Rafa Nadal or Stanislas Wawrinka.
“I played very well today, very solid,” he said.
“I played aggressive. I hit my forehand very well. I like the way I played today. I just want to keep improving and keep going far in this tournament.”
Del Potro now has 4,180 points as he bids to make the ATP World Tour Finals for a fourth time.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also increased his chances of making London with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Germany’s Florian Mayer that took him into eighth spot. Roger Federer will now be looking over his shoulder, as another win for the Frenchman would see him leapfrog over the Swiss on points.
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