Del Potro Makes Winning Return; Benneteau Beats Almagro; Soderling Illness

© AFP/Getty ImagesJuan Martin del Potro competed at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday for the first time since lifting the 2009 title.

Juan Martin del Potro, who is competing at Flushing Meadows for the first time since winning the 2009 US Open title, cruised past Italian veteran Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday for a place in the second round.

The No. 18 seed, from Argentina, dropped just 11 points on serve and hit 18 aces for victory in 88 minutes on the Louis Armstrong Stadium. The 22 year old is bidding to lift his 10th tour-level trophy. He has a 39-12 match record on the season.

DEUCE Magazine: delPo Returns

"I feel really glad," he admitted. "[It] was a short match, but I served well. I was improving my game during the match. It's my favourite tournament, so I'm really happy to take the opportunity to play here again. I'm feeling really glad to see the crowd again, to see the Argentinian fans come to see me specially play here [at] the US Open."

French wild card Julien Benneteau knocked out No. 10 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. In the pair's first meeting in three and a half years, Almagro converted just one of 13 break point opportunities and committed 41 unforced errors.

Benneteau, who has never won a tour-level singles title, has been a runner-up on five occasions, most recently as a qualifier at the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University (l. to Isner) on Sunday. He hit 24 winners and won 18 of his 25 net approaches.

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, the No. 25 seed, playing his 10th US Open and 40th major championship, defeated Grand Slam debutant Tatsuma Ito of Japan 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 58 minutes to improve to a 28-21 match record on the season. Lopez, who has reached the Last 16 here in 2007 (l. to Federer) and 2010 (l. to Nadal), hit 18 aces and 37 winners.

Sixth seed Robin Soderling was forced out of the US Open due to illness ahead of his first-round match against Irish qualifier Louk Sorensen. Soderling, who had previously been struggling with a wrist injury, was replaced by Brazilian lucky loser Rogerio Dutra Da Silva.

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