Mon, Oct 04 10 05:57 PM
Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro's inauspicious return from a long injury-lay-off continued on Monday after he was bounced out of the Japan Open in the first round for the second year running.
The towering Argentine fell to sixth seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain in a 6-3 6-0 thrashing six days after crashing out of the Thailand Open at the first hurdle.
Del Potro, who won last year's U.S. Open but had been sidelined since January with a wrist injury, made his comeback in Bangkok last week and looked no less rusty in Tokyo.
A red-hot favourite for the Japan Open title last year, del Potro was humiliated by a qualifier in the first round.
World number one Rafa Nadal heads this year's field at the $1.1 million Japan Open along with American Andy Roddick and 2009 Tokyo winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Seventh seed Ernests Gulbis of Latvia suffered an 6-3 6-4 upset at the hands of Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the first round on Monday.
Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver beat Argentine Eduardo Schwank of Argentina 6-4 6-4.
Nadal faces world number 63 Santiago Giraldo of Colombia in his Japan Open debut on Tuesday.
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