Juan-Martin del Potro recovers to beat Nicolas Mahut

Top seed Juan-Martin del Potro recovered from a set down to beat Nicolas Mahut and reach the last eight of the Sydney Invitational.

The Argentine could only win a single game in the first set of his 2014 ATP World Tour season, but fought back to defeat the Frenchman 1-6 6-3 6-4 on Wednesday Down Under.

The world number five broke Mahut for the 4-3 lead in the crucial set and saved two break point chances in the following game, before completing his comeback with an ace to win in one hour and 51 minutes.

Del Potro has now extended his winning streak as a top seed to 20 consecutive matches, and will next face Radek Stepanek, who booked his place in the quarter-finals with a victory over Albert Ramos.