Before his big win, Juan Martin del Potro rescued from elevator by Argentine handball team

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Argentina's handball team rescued tennis player Juan Martin del Potro from an elevator, but couldn't rescue themselves from an opening-match loss to Denmark on Sunday.

Argentine player Federico Pizarro heard shouting coming from an elevator in the athletes village and opened the door to find del Potro, who had been trapped there during a power outage.

Gonzalo Carou said the team found the incident "funny," but said it could have been less amusing if del Potro's preparations for his match against top-ranked Novak Djokovic had been disrupted.

They weren't. The 2009 U.S. Open champion beat Djokovic in straight sets in the first round of the Olympic tennis tournament.

A few hours later, however, Argentina lost its handball opener against Denmark, falling 25-19 in Group A. The Danes received passionate support from the Brazilians in the crowd because of the host nation's traditional rivalry with neighbor Argentina.