Federer, Del Potro slated to clash in Cincy

Four-times Cincinnati champion Roger Federer could face Juan Martin del Potro in his opening match of the Western & Southern Open in what would be a rematch of the 2009 US Open final. Federer, the No. 3 seed, has not played del Potro since losing to the Argentine at the 2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The Cincinnati draw was released Friday night. To advance to play Federer, the tournament champion in 2005, 2007 and the past two years, del Potro must first beat Italian Andreas Seppi. Del Potro has played in Cincinnati just once before. In 2007 he won through qualifying and advanced to the third round.

Top seed Novak Djokovic will begin his Cincinnati campaign against the winner of American wild card Ryan Harrison and Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela.

Second seed Rafael Nadal will play his first match against the winner of Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and a qualifier, with a potential third-round meeting against Fernando Verdasco or No. 13 seed Mikhail Youzhny.

Fourth seed and former champion Andy Murray will open against the winner of David Nalbandian and a qualifier, with a potential third-round clash with in-form Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Two-time champion and No. 11 seed Andy Roddick will open against German Philipp Kohlschreiber and then could meet his third-round Wimbledon conqueror Feliciano Lopez in the second round.

Main draw play begins Sunday.

Date: 13.08.2011, Source: ATP