Del Potro loses 1st-round match at Miami Open

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — Juan Martin del Potro’s latest comeback from an injury is off to a slow start, and he’s OK with that.

Playing his first match since Jan. 15, del Potro lost Thursday to Vasek Pospisil in the first round of the Miami Open, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

“I don’t feel frustrated,” del Potro said. “I have to take the positive things on my comeback. The score doesn’t matter for now.”

Del Potro had been sidelined with a lingering left wrist injury. The 2009 U.S. Open champion had wrist surgery a year ago and played in just four tournaments in 2014, and his ranking has fallen to No. 616.

Venus Williams began her 16th appearance at Key Biscayne by beating qualifier Urszula Radwanska 6-3, 6-2. Radwanska’s sister Agnieszka won, as did former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.

Del Potro’s rustiness showed in the second set, to the disappointment of a partisan stadium crowd rooting for the Argentine. He served at 5-4 and was broken. He double-faulted holding a set point, lost another set point and double-faulted again on the next-to-last point.

Del Potro converted only one of six break-point chances and hit just nine winners to 36 for Pospisil, a Canadian ranked 60th.

“I didn’t serve well in the special moments,” del Potro said. “But now I’m OK. Just playing the tournament and being here means a lot for me.”

Del Potro said he felt fine physically after the match. He said his wrist is not yet 100 percent, but it’s improving week by week.

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes me to be at the top again,” he said. “I just wanted to play tennis and without pain.”

Williams, seeded 16th, lost serve three times and committed 21 unforced errors but still advanced in barely an hour. She improved to 55-13 at Key Biscayne, where she won the title in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Wozniacki, seeded No. 4, beat American Madison Brengle, 6-0, 6-1. No. 7 Agnieszka Radwanska beat Anna Schmiedlova, 6-4, 7-5. No. 9 Andrea Petkovic swept American Christina McHale 6-2, 6-2.

Seeded players competed in their opening matches after receiving first-round byes.

On the men’s side, American Steve Johnson lost to Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Former Australian Open runnerup Marcos Baghdatis was eliminated by Simone Bolelli, 6-2, 6-2.

Martin Klizan won and will face No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round Saturday night.