Del Potro cruises to Sydney title

Juan Martin del Potro eased to the Sydney International title with a comprehensive 6-3 6-1 win over Bernard Tomic in Saturday's final. The Argentine top seed was in imperious form at the Ken Rosewall Arena, taking just 53 minutes to wrap up the ATP 250 crown and round off his preparations for the Australian Open - which starts on Monday - in perfect fashion. Del Potro dominated from the outset, winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points - and 100 per cent of points on his second serve - in the opening set, which lasted just 26 minutes. This level of performance was in stark contrast to that of 2013 champion Tomic, with the 21-year-old Australian looking jaded as he struggled to cope with the world number five's power and accuracy. And there was no let up for Tomic in set two, as 2009 US Open winner Del Potro broke early to move 3-1 up before cruising to the final three games to wrap up his 18th tour title. Del Potro looked in ominous form ahead of the Australian Open, dropping just six points on his serve and making only four unforced errors throughout the match. The 25-year-old, who is the only player other than Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer to win a grand slam in the last nine years, gets his Melbourne campaign under way against qualifier Rhyne Williams on Tuesday. Tomic, meanwhile, will have to pick himself up quickly, as he plays world number one Nadal in the first round of the opening slam of the season.