Third seed Grigor Dimitrov clinched his 200th tour-level victory on Wednesday at the Chengdu Open as he defeated Dusan Lajovic 7-6(1), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
Dimitrov has enjoyed a resurgence in form since joining forces with new coach, Dani Vallverdu. The 25 year old reached the quarter-finals in Toronto (l. to Nishikori), the semi-finals in Cincinnati (l. to Cilic) and the fourth round of the US Open (l. to Murray).
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He continued his winning ways at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament as he won 77 per cent of his service points to clinch victory in 90 minutes. “It's nice to start a tournament with a win like that. Dusan is a good player,” Dimitrov said. “I was playing some really good tennis. My main goal today was to come out and go for my shots.”
The Bulgarian sets up a clash with Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who knocked off eighth seed Paolo Lorenzi 6-0, 6-4. The two played in the final of the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open in May. Schwartzman won 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-0 to secure his maiden ATP World Tour title.
Karen Khachanov reached his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season as he rallied from a set down to defeat Adrian Mannarino 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 31 minutes. The 20-year-old Russian, part of the Next Generation, also reached the last eight on clay in Kitzbuhel in July (l. to Lajovic). He goes on to meet fourth seed Feliciano Lopez, who prevailed past Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5. The left-handed Lopez saved all five break points to improve to 5-3 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Monaco.
Top seed Dominic Thiem will open his campaign against Chinese wild card Di Wu. World No. 193 Wu claimed his first ATP World Tour win with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Konstantin Kravchuk. Wu, the only ATP Challenger champion from China, had been 0-13 at ATP World Tour events and Grand Slam tournaments.
“This is a breakthrough for me today," said Wu. "I had prepared myself well for this match, and I told myself that I have to stick to my tactics and style of play. It is a memorable day for me today. I hope tomorrow I can do better because I am facing a player with a very high ranking."
Marcos Baghdatis battled through to the second round as he completed a rain-delayed match against Pablo Carreno Busta. Play was suspended on Tuesday evening with the score finely balanced at 5-5 in the third set. But at the resumption, Baghdatis clinched the decisive tie-break for a 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory in just over three hours.
“The whole match yesterday (and today) was very tough," said Baghdatis. "I’m happy with my win. I think I was a bit lucky or maybe better than him in the important points. I made less unforced errors and it paid off today. I’m thrilled to be in the second round."
World No. 36 Baghdatis is back in action for the first time since reaching the US Open fourth round (l. to Monfils). The Cypriot is chasing his first ATP World Tour title since 2010 and goes on to face Viktor Troicki for a quarter-final berth.
The sixth-seeded Troicki also finished off a rain-delayed match, defeating 17-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6(4). Ruud, whose father is former ATP pro Christian Ruud, captured his first ATP Challenger Tour title this month in Seville and was rewarded in Chengdu with a wild card into his first ATP World Tour main draw.
In the final rain-delayed contest, fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain outlasted German qualifier Michael Berrer 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. “I think overall I played a great match. I improved my level from last week and that's why I have to be confident to go to the next round,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “The conditions are really good. I like the courts a lot, and I like the balls they are using here, so I feel good.”
Doubles Seeds Upset
In doubles, second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah were upset by Adil Shamasdin and Andreas Siljestrom 6-4, 1-6, 11-9. Third seeds Dominic Inglot and Nenad Zimonjic also fell to Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 6-2, 6-4 in 56 minutes.
Nick Kyrgios and Troicki saved both break points faced to advance 6-3, 6-2 against James Cerretani and Philipp Oswald. Lajovic and Joao Sousa moved into the quarter-finals by beating Ramos-Vinolas and Ruud 6-4, 6-2.
DAY 4 PREVIEW: There are four second round matches on Thursday’s order of play at the Chengdu Open with top seed Dominic Thiem, No. 2 Nick Kyrgios, No. 5 Albert Ramos-Vinolas and No. 6 Viktor Troicki along with Chinese wild card Di Wu leading the way.
In the opening match on Stadium Court, Troicki takes on Marcos Baghdatis, who has won four of the previous five meetings on the ATP World Tour, including the last three. Baghdatis is coming off a 3 hour, 2 minute, three tie-break win over Carreno Busta on Wednesday. Troicki is trying to reach his sixth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season and his second in as many weeks (St. Petersburg). Baghdatis is attempting to advance to his seventh QF in 2016, his first since getting to the semi-finals in Newport in July.
In the second match on, big-serving South African Kevin Anderson and #NextGen star Kyrgios square off for the first time. Anderson has struggled with injuries this season, retiring from two matches and pulling out from eight tournaments due to left knee and right shoulder injuries. After a 5-11 start, he has compiled an 8-5 record. He is trying to reach his fifth ATP World Tour QF of the season. The 21-year-old Kyrgios is the youngest two-time ATP World Tour winner this season, capturing titles in Marseille (d. Cilic) and Atlanta (d. Isner). He comes in a career-high No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with a 34-13 record (21-7 on hard).
In the evening session, Yen-Hsun Lu looks to even his record against Ramos-Vinolas, who won the previous meeting in Auckland last year. Lu is trying to reach his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season (Winston-Salem last month). He has rebounded back from right elbow surgery (on Jan. 18), winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles while compiling a 24-5 match record. Ramos-Vinolas is one of eight first-time winners on the ATP World Tour and one of seven different Spanish winners this season. He is trying to reach his sixth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season, the first on hard courts.
In the final match on, Thiem and Chinese No. 2 Di Wu play each other for the first time. Thiem, a four-time ATP World Tour winner this season, is trying to earn a spot in the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He is No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Race to London. The 23-year-old Austrian is one of four players with 50+ match wins this year. Wu is trying to become the first Chinese player to post a Top 10 victory (0-9) and to reach an ATP World Tour quarter-final since Ze Zhang in 2012 Beijing. Wu is ranked No. 193.