Hong Kong, Jan 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Andrey Rublev was forced to dig deep, beating qualifier Liam Broady as the top seed completed the Hong Kong Open 2024 quarterfinal line-up on Thursday night. The No. 5 in ATP Rankings fended off qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 7-6(8) to book a tantalising last-eight clash with teenage sensation Arthur Fils, who had an enlightening week of training with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the off-season.
"Before we flew here we practised the last days together," said Rublev ahead of his maiden head-to-head clash with Fils. "What can I say? He's super strong for his age, he's super powerful across the shots. I need to be really ready mentally and physically for a great battle with him," he said after the match.
Rublev had already featured in Hong Kong in two doubles matches but burst onto the singles scene with a 4-1 early advantage. Broady, keen to celebrate his 30th birthday in style, couldn't quite snatch away the opener, but a series of piercing returns and disguised ventures to the net kept Rublev off balance.
The British World No. 108 more than deserved his chance in the second set tie-break, but he couldn't convert three set points and a relieved Rublev could salute his legion of fans as the victor.
The World No. 36 Fils was forced to recalibrate and re-think his approach in a hot-shot-laden contest with Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler. The Swiss qualifier raced 5-2 ahead with lasered shots before Fils found his rhythm and rattled through seven successive games with dynamic tennis for a 2-0 lead in the second set.
The contest remained finely poised until a moment of magic. Fils lunged sideways and pinged a backhand return winner down the line to break for 6-5 before the 2023 ATP Newcomer of the Year closed out a hard-fought victory.
Earlier on Thursday, Roberto Bautista Agut rolled back the years with an accomplished 7-5, 6-3 scoreline over fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo. With his rapid footwork and canny short-court angles, the former World No. 9 proved his endeavours in pre-season have paid off.
Bautista Agut's 2023 was disrupted by breaking a bone in his foot as a result of a horse-riding accident in July, prompting a three-month stint on the sidelines.
Bautista Agut will take on Austrian Sebastian Ofner on Friday in the last eight. The World No. 43 held his nerve in a scintillating 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 7-6(2) comeback against fifth seed Jan-Lennard Struff.
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
This website uses cookies.
