Westfield's Delpopolo Wins First Two Matches in London Olympics

, 23, of Westfield, won his first two Olympic Judo matches at the Excel Center in London this morning, defeating his opponents Chi Yip Cheung of Hong Kong and Dirk Van Tichelt of Belgium.

Delpopolo, ranked number one in the U.S. and 16th in the world, stayed in control throughout his five-minute match up with Cheung. The highly-ranked Van Tichelt, who won the bronze medal at the 2009 world championships, proved more of a challenge, with Delpopolo winning by a single-point score, known as Yuko.

Delpopolo has advanced to the quarterfinals, one step closer to the bronze medal round. He faces Ki-Chun Wang of Korea this morning.

Delpopolo secured his spot on the  after a dramatic fight to the finish against long-time rival Mike Eldred at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. He is among six Americans competing on the U.S. Judo team and is the only one in his 73 kg weight class.

Check back with Patch for updates throughout the day.