Del Potro ousts top seed

Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina pumps his fist to celebrate his victory against Fabio Fognini of Italy in the Sydney International tournament yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro stepped up his comeback from another wrist surgery by toppling top seed Fabio Fognini at the Sydney International on Wednesday.
The 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory was only the second match the towering Argentine had played in 11 months since surgery to fix an issue with his left wrist and he felt the burn.
He will face qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in the quarterfinals after the Kazak overcame sixth seed Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-5, 7-5.