Federer, Del Potro square off early in Cincinnati

A matchup worthy of a final is on tap during second-round action in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Roger Federer, the defending champion, will contest his opener against Juan Martin Del Potro.Two years later, the U.S. Open final is now a second-round matchup in Cincinnati.

Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro went head-to-head for the 2009 title in Flushing Meadows, where Del Potro prevailed with a five-set upset. Having been sidelined with a wrist injury the following season, the Argentine is now in the ranks of the unseeded and has to go up against the world No. 1 much earlier than usual. Tuesday night's showdown at the Western & Southern Open will be the ninth career meeting between the two Grand Slam champions. Federer leads the head-to-head series 6-2, but Del Potro has won two straight. After his U.S. Open triumph, Del Potro scored a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 victory just a few months later during round-robin action at the World Tour Finals.

"It was a tough one to lose," Federer said of the U.S. Open setback. "Definitely one of the bigger losses in my career, I think, because I really think it shouldn't have gone away. It's been different roads (for me and Del Potro), but here we are."

Although his 2010 campaign was almost a complete washout, Del Potro is back with a vengeance this year. The 22-year-old owns a 38-11 record for the season and he is back up to No. 19 in the world. Del Potro had an easy time setting up this blockbuster matchup, as he raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set against Andreas Seppi on Sunday before the Italian retired due to a right foot problem.

Federer is looking to bounce back from a third-round loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Montreal. Having not played an ATP event in between Wimbledon and the Canada Masters, Federer has now bowed of two consecutive events to Tsonga (he lost to the Frenchman in five sets at the All-England Club). Still, the second-ranked Swiss is a respectable 40-10 for the year and he heads into Cincinnati as the defending champion.

Del Potro is clearly capable of pulling off the upset and he will be confident based on his last two performances against Federer. If he can serve big and dictate baseline rallies with his forehand, Del Potro has a real shot. Federer, though, will be desperate to both rebound from Montreal and kick off his Cincinnati title defense in style.