Nicolas Almagro continues his Bueno Aires title defence against Argentine Federico Delbonis on Thursday.
Almagro has had a packed schedule over the past few weeks, flying straight from Davis Cup duty to join the Golden Swing in Sao Paulo. Always a popular event with the local fans, Almagro triumphed to claim his 11th career title in front of a packed stadium.
But there's been little chance for the Spaniard to rest. This is a crucial period of the season for him as he has plenty of point to defend and he doesn't fare so well once the tour moves to the outdoor hard courts in the States. Almagro's 2011 run saw him win titles in Costa Do Sauipe and Bueno Aires before finishing runner-up to David Ferrer in Acapulco.
He came close to crashing out in the first round here, scraping past experienced Italian Potito Starace 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) on Tuesday, smashing seven aces in the process.
Delbonis came through qualifying before defeating Frederico Gil 6-2, 6-2 in round one. It's hard to see him troubling Almagro, one of the most accomplished players when it comes to these ATP 250 clay-court events.
