Former US Open tennis champion Juan Martin Del Potro won his first match in a year, coming through a 200-minute test of his fitness with a three-set victory over Feliciano Lopez at the Sydney International.
The 22-year-old Argentine has played only two tournaments since having surgery last May on a wrist injury that hampered his Australian Open campaign last year, losing in the first round in both.
One of those defeats was to Lopez in Tokyo but last night at the Sydney Olympic centre, wildcard Del Potro got his revenge after a monumental battle with the sixth seeded Spaniard.
All three sets went to tiebreaks.
Del Potro won the 2009 US Open final against Roger Federer.
Defending champion and second seed Marcos Baghdatis pulled out of the tournament with a groin strain.
In the women's draw, local grand slam hopeful Sam Stosur delighted the centre court crowd by downing Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 7-5 6-4.
The world number six, a French Open finalist last year, will meet twice grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.
