Del Potro uses serve to win opener

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — With his wrist aching and temper fraying, Juan Martin del Potro turned to his strength.

The U.S. Open champion fired 21 aces — one at 135 mph — to overpower American Michael Russell 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Del Potro, a 6-foot-6 Argentine seeded No. 4, played with his right wrist and forearm taped to stave off a recurrence of tendinitis.

“I don’t feel 100 percent,” he said after the three-hour match.

Del Potro, with his big serves and bigger forehands, was unheralded until his win over Roger Federer at the U.S. Open. He ended Federer’s streak of five straight U.S. Open titles and beat Rafael Nadal en route to the final, making him the only man to defeat both players at a Grand Slam event.

On Monday, del Potro’s opponent measured all of 5-foot-8. Russell, ranked 90th, described the challenges of facing a player with del Potro’s wingspan.

“He’s creating angles that I’m just not able to create,” Russell said. “He’s able to cover the court without taking as many steps. He has more power as well because he has more leverage.”

Russell said the higher bounce coming off del Potro’s serve forced him to stand near the wall to receive serves — making it harder for him to recover.

“That’s giving up way too much ground for me to do that,” he said.