Del Potro concentrates on Vienna job at hand with win into final

Oct 29, 2011, 14:16 GMT

Vienna - Argentine Juan Del Potro continued to build for the December Davis Cup final as he reached the final of the Erste Bank Open on Saturday by winning a serving duel with Kevin Anderson 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

The 14th-ranked Del Potro is trying to keep the pressure of the Davis date against Spain December 2-4 in Seville out of mind as he concentrates on his last three weeks of ATP regular season play.

The South American fired 18 aces, beating the Anderson total by one in a duel which lasted two and a quarter hours.

Del Potro lost just two points on serve in the first set but was broken twice in the second by Anderson, who had not dropped a set all week. Del Potro finally got the win as he broke in the final game for victory.

'It was really tough until the last game. I kept trying and trying and finally I got my chance in that game and I took it,' he said as he waited a Sunday finals opponent from top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and German qualifier Daniel Brands.

'It was tough to do anything against Anderson's serve. To me it means a lot to go to another final,' said the player who won his last and ninth career trophy six months ago on clay in Estoril.

Del Potro has now beaten Anderson in both of their meetings, taking a win in the Delray quarter-finals in February on the way to claiming his first title of 2011.

This week has been a triumph for year-end finals candidate Del Potro, who was forced to retire three years ago with a foot injury during his first appearance at the tournament.

'I've not done well at the Masters events and the Grand Slams this year, so this is an important win for me,' said Del Potro, who has now won 45 matches this season.

The Argentine is set to move into provisional 12th spot for a place in the eight-man field at next month's year-end event in London.

Three places remain open with this weekend and two more weeks of ATP play remaining.