WASHINGTON, Aug 2 ― World number six Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the ATP Washington Open quarter-finals yesterday by defeating Australia's Jordan Thompson 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
The 20-year-old Greek top seed took the only break of the match to claim the first set and won when the Aussie netted a forehand after 99 minutes at the US Open hardcourt tuneup event.
Tsitsipas, who beat Roger Federer in January on his way to the Australian Open semi-finals, seeks his fourth career ATP title after crowns last October in Stockholm, last February at Marseille and in May at Estoril.
Tsitsipas reached the 2018 Washington semi-finals and a week later became the youngest player to ever beat four top-10 ATP players in the same week before losing to Rafael Nadal in the Canada Masters final.
In the quarter-finals, Tsitsipas will meet the winner of a later match between US fifth seed John Isner and French 10th seed Benoit Paire.
Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, beat Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4.
Auger-Aliassime, the youngest player in the top 100 at 18, was upset at his performance, which included 11 double faults.
“I just played really bad, probably one of the worst matches I've played this year,” he said. “I don't know what it was but I couldn't figure it out. It was really tough out there. In every way it felt like I wouldn't even play close to what I'm able to.”
World number 17 Cilic's quarter-final foe will be Russia's 10th-ranked Daniil Medvedev, who eliminated hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 7-5.
Medvedev and Khachanov give Russia two top-10 players for the first time since October 2010.
Two lucky losers reached the last eight including Slovakia's Norbert Gombos, a last-second replacement after South African fourth seed Kevin Anderson withdrew with right knee pain. The world number 137 will next face either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
German 122nd-ranked lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk shocked Canada's Milos Raonic, the 2014 Washington champion, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
Gojowczyk, who had lost 12 of his past 14 ATP main draw matches entering the week, only got into the tournament after Australia's Bernard Tomic withdrew with a finger injury.
The German has made the most of his opportunity by dispatching Russian Andrey Rublev, Aussie 12th seed Alex De Minar and 20th-ranked Raonic.
Next up for Gojowczyk is British 13th seed Kyle Edmund, who ousted France's 70th-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
There was some consolation for the Frenchman, who fired 18 aces in defeat. Tsonga received a wildcard entry Thursday into next week's event at Montreal.
“I can take some positive things,” Tsonga said. “I'm a little disappointed, but it's going to be an important match to increase my level. I still think I can improve many things and that's why every day I come to the court.”
Doubles duty for Murray
Also getting a spot in Montreal was Britain's Andy Murray, who will play doubles alongside Spaniard Feliciano Lopez as he practices singles and plays doubles with hopes of playing his first singles match since January as soon as Cincinnati in two weeks.
Murray, who underwent hip surgery in January and feared he might never play again, plays alongside brother Jamie today in a Washington doubles quarter-final.
In the joint WTA event, US teen wildcard Caty McNally beat compatriot Christina McHale 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach a quarter-final against either Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva or 31st-ranked Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan, the last remaining seed. ― AFP
