ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina returned after a month out with injury to advance to the second round of the ABN Amro tournament on Wednesday. Reggie White Packers Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Monfils served up 5 aces to zero and was also the first to take a mini-break in the tiebreaker, before he double-faulted and allowed Del Potro to reassert control. In the second set, the Argentine was dominant, breaking Monfils serve in the fourth game. The only hint of trouble came in the deciding game, when Monfils took Del Potro to two break points. But Del Potro saved both and went on to seal the victory. "My wrist is getting better by the day and it was fine today against Monfils," he said. "Its always difficult to come back after an injury, but I hope I can hold on to this level of play." Murray, who won the tournament in 2009, worked efficiently against Roger-Vasselin, winning in just under 90 minutes. The Wimbledon winner saved four break points, all in the second set. Del Potro faces Paul Henri-Mathieu of France in the second round, while Murray plays Dominic Thiem of Austria. Clay Matthews Jersey . You watch the game live on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt or listen live on TSN Radio 690 Montreal. The Canadiens have won three straight and six of their past seven games, pushing them two points ahead of Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division. Letroy Guion Jersey . Justin Upton homered and scored the tiebreaking run on Chris Johnsons eighth-inning single, and the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Tuesday night to end their seven-game skid.TORONTO - With a mischievous look glued to his face, Kyle Lowry listened intently from the neighbouring locker as DeMar DeRozan spoke with the media after Sunday nights win. Making faces in the background and chiming in with the occasional one-liner, Lowry attempted to distract his teammate, to little success. DeRozan was coming off another remarkable performance, scoring an efficient 32 points in Torontos impressive 104-98 bounce-back victory over the Warriors. As the Raptors all-star guard was informed that he had just exceeded 30 points for the fourth time in the last six games, Lowry expressed his admiration, shouting "damn". "Whatever I say about Kyle is an understatement," said DeRozan. "We go off him to be honest, man. Thats a hell of a player right there. Hes the reason why Im getting 30 points." Lowry, still lurking next to the scrum, let out a high-pitched and playful "awwww". This exchange was not unusual. Often following a win, the Raptors backcourt duo can be found sharing a laugh in the locker room but the bond theyve developed is especially beneficial after a loss. Once Dwane Casey has finished addressing his team and the players return to their respective lockers, DeRozan and Lowry will usually break off to discuss the game, what went wrong and how to correct it. Their friendship is not put on and the chemistry that has been built this season, on and off the floor, has a lot to do with their individual and collective success. Lowrys fingerprints are all over DeRozans career year, and vice-versa. Together, they are the leaders of a team that genuinely enjoys going to battle for one another and it showed again on Sunday, as the Raptors toppled a formidable foe in the Warriors. Golden State was responsible for the Raptors lowest point of the season, a 27-point collapse in Oakland at the beginning of December. Toronto has lost only two games all year when leading after three quarters. They blew an 18-point fourth quarter advantage that night. &quuot;The way that we lost was definitely tough, we understood that coming into tonight," DeRozan said. A.J. Hawk Jersey. "I think all the guys that were here [for it remembers that loss] because it sucks to lose like that." This time, at home and coming off a disappointing triple-overtime defeat, Toronto returned the favour. Trailing by three going into the final frame, the Raptors got 12 points from DeRozan as they outscored Golden State by nine in the fourth and earned their first win over the Warriors in eight tries with Stephen Curry in uniform. The Warriors guards - Curry and Klay Thompson - are the highest scoring backcourt pair in the NBA, with DeRozan and Lowry just behind them. Curry continued to give the Raptors fits, scoring a game-high 34 but Thompson was held to just 12. Playing some of the best basketball of his career over the last couple of weeks, DeRozan needed just 16 shots - hitting 10 - to collect his 32 points, facing an elite wing defender in Andre Iguodala. For the third straight game, the fifth-year guard made at least 12 trips to the free throw line, knocking down 11. Hes also recorded six assists in three consecutive contests, the first time hes done that in his career. "Coming in, I knew he was a good player," said John Salmons, one of DeRozans newest teammates. "I knew he could really score the ball. I knew he was athletic, but from afar, you never know how tough a guy is. He gets the best defensive guy guarding him every night. Guys that are known just for their defence. He still plays at a very high level, so I give him a lot of credit because he does it night in and night out. Thats not easy to do." "Hes growing every single game," said Lowry, who added 13 points and eight assists Sunday. "This season has been a remarkable one for him, hes an all-star. Anything I say about him, vice-versa, its an understatement." More than half of DeRozans 25 career 30-plus point games have come this season (13). cheap jerseys ' ' '
