Top-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro earned a came back from behind victory over German qualifier Daniel Brands 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 7-6(6) in a gripping service battle on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. It was the first time in a best-of-three sets match on the ATP World Tour that both contenders smacked at least 30 aces. Del Potro fired 30 aces, while Brands complimented him with 32.

Interestingly, this match also featured fifteen missed break point opportunities and each set went to the tie-breaker. Del Potro raised the level of his game at the right time in the final set to win this enthralling encounter in 3 hours and 5 minutes.

“If I knew this was going to happen before, I would have stayed at home for sure,” del Potro quipped. “But I played a nice match for my first round after a month without competition. He served really well every moment of the match. I served really well too.”

Del Potro has been participating in his first tournament since a quarter-final showing at the US Open, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in a thrilling three-setter. On the other hand, World No. 81 Gilles Muller caused a big upset earlier Wednesday as he beat fourth seeded and two-time former champion Jurgen Melzer in three sets with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4) scoreline in the second round. The Luxembourg player Muller fired 18 aces to win this contest in the one-hour, 52-minutes.

World No. 187 Donald Young also recorded his fifth tour-level win of the season on Wednesday as he beat fifth seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy in straight sets 7-6(8), 6-3 in the first round. The American saved 13 of the 16 break points to win this match in one hour and 46 minutes.