Juan Martin Del Potro brushed aside Lukasz Kubot Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Sydney International, as the Argentine edges closer to cracking the top ten rankings this year. World number 11 Del Potro, clawing his way back up the rankings after a career-threatening wrist injury, downed the Polish number 58, 6-4, 6-2 in blustery conditions on Ken Rosewall Arena.
The 2009 US Open champion and top seed in Sydney will take on unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in Thursday's quarter-finals. Baghdatis, the 2010 Sydney champion, took over two hours to subdue Australian Matthew Ebden 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). "It was really tough conditions today," Del Potro said.
American second seed John Isner crashed out 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to compatriot Bobby Reynolds, who will face Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in the last eight. Nieminen, a runner-up here three years ago, accounted for eighth seed Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-1. French third seed Richard Gasquet, a Sydney finalist in 2010, cruised past Italian Fabio Fognini in straight sets and will take on Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the quarters.
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