Google News
A qualifier Ricardas Berankis is through to his first ATP quarter-final since Dubai 2019, beating Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 7-6, 6-1 in an hour and 41 minutes. The Lithuanian was more efficient on the second serve, getting broken twice and securing five breaks from 13 chances that kept him safe from the closing stages of the opener.
Stebe broke in the seventh game and fended off three break chances in the next game to extend the gap and create two set points on the return in the next game. With no room for errors, Berankis fended them off and broke back in the next game to level the score at 5-5 and set up a tie break that he grabbed 7-2 with three mini-breaks.
The momentum was on the side of Berankis who produced three great holds in set number two and three straight breaks to take the set 6-1 and race into the quarter-final. World no. 152 Ilya Ivashka will compete in the first ATP quarter-final since Newport last July, prevailing against Stefano Travaglia 7-6, 7-6 in exactly two hours.
The Belarusian grabbed five points more than his rival, with both players fending off four break chances to stay and neck all the time before the tie breaks that went to the side of Ivashka. The lower-ranked player claimed the opening set tie break 7-5 with two mini-breaks, with six chances in total on both sides in the fourth and fifth games of set number two.
The servers remained focused to advance into another tie break that Ilya won 7-3 and booked the place in the quarters. The 5th seed Yuichi Sugita had a day off, receiving a walkover from Viktor Troicki to find himself in the final eight without having to step on the court.
The Czech Jiri Vesely has achieved the best result since Marrakech last year, beating Salvatore Caruso 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 50 minutes, blasting 14 aces and repelling seven out of eight break chances to mount the pressure on the other side of the court.
Caruso defended eight out of ten break points, saving two set points in the 12th game of the opener and allowing Vesely to take the last three points in the tie break for a 7-5. After eight brilliant holds at the beginning of the second set, Jiri grabbed the crucial break that sent him in front, fending off three break chances in the next game to seal the deal and stay on the title course.
In the only remained first-round clash, Taro Daniel beat Sasikumar Mukund 6-2, 7-6 in an hour and 39 minutes, losing serve once and securing three breaks from 11 opportunities to move into the last 16.