Basel, Switzerland – Basel, Switzerland (SportsNetwork.com) - Reigning champion Juan Martin del Potro was an easy second-round winner Thursday at the $1.955 million Swiss Indoors Basel.
The top-seeded Argentine slugger drilled former Australian Open runner-up and former Basel finalist Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 6-2 in 72 minutes at St. Jakobshalle. "Delpo" broke his Cypriot counterpart four times while holding his formidable serve throughout on Day 4.
Del Potro, who upset Swiss hero Roger Federer in last year's Basel finale, is seeking a trip into a third final in three events, having recently titled in Tokyo and finished as a runner-up at the Shanghai Masters.
The former U.S. Open champion del Potro's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who doused fellow countryman Michael Llodra 6-4, 6-3.
Hot Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov blew past Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-2.
The eighth-seeded Dimitrov, fresh off capturing his first-ever ATP title last week in Stockholm, is rewarded with a quarterfinal bout against a third-seeded Federer, a five-time Basel champion and four-time runner-up at his hometown tournament.
Also on Thursday, rising Canadian Vasek Pospisil vaulted past 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4 in 59 minutes, France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat German Tobias Kamke 7-5, 6-3, and German Daniel Brands drilled Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 6-4.
Friday's other quarters will pit Pospisil against Croat Ivan Dodig and Roger- Vasselin versus Brands.
The 2013 Basel titlist will earn $475,000.
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