2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro who was merciless against qualifier Adrian Mannarino in his opening round of the 2013 Australian Open is clearly in his dominating form and sends a reminder to the Big Three in the tournament that he is ready for the challenges ahead.

The 24-year-old hit 24 winners and committed only 8 unforced errors to pass through his opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in just 76 minutes. The Argentine who stormed into the second round will now take on Germany’s Benjamin Becker on the fourth day of the Aussie Open. Although the two have never met before in their professional careers, the world No. 7 is pretty much in a favourable position to get pass his next opponent without a hitch.

For Potro whose career derailed for atleast eight months after a wrist injury in 2010, getting pass the quarter finals in a Grand Slam, ever since his comeback, has been a problem due to the hurdle posed by the Big Three. However, his recent performances have been encouraging and the Argentine has considerable chances to create an upset against the top three players in the tournament on his day.

Back in 2009 Potro had defeated 11-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and Swiss maestro Roger Federer in the finals on his route to his maiden Grand Slam title. Now, with Nadal out of the tournament due to injury, there is no reason that he could not do it again given his potentialities and aggressive style of play.

Seeded sixth in the ongoing tournament, Potro who made it to the quarter finals of the Aussie Open last year, now happens to be the only man with a Major title, apart from the ‘Big Three’ to remain in the draw.

Though Potro opened his Australian Open account with an emphatic victory, his next round opponent Becker had to sweat out to overcome his rival in four tight sets in his first round. Interestingly, if Porto’s first round annihilation of Mannarino is any indication for his current form, his 66^th ranked veteran rival has low chances of creating an upset.

TennisEarth predicts an easy win for Potro.