Spoiler:
The top seed will next face Krajinovic
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas bounced back from his shock first-round exit at Wimbledon by defeating Dominik Koepfer 7-6(2), 6-3 at the Hamburg European Open on Wednesday to record a tour-leading 40th win of the season and reach the quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas, who lost to Frances Tiafoe at SW19, won 86 per cent (30/35) of his first-service points and hit 12 winners in the first set in a high-quality contest to claim victory against the home favourite in one hour and 45 minutes.
How To Watch
The Greek star, who reached the final in Hamburg last September, has enjoyed a strong season on clay this year. He was a finalist at Roland Garros in June (l. to Djokovic), won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title (d. Rublev) in April, and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (d. Norrie) in May.
After Tsitsipas was broken in the first game, he immediately responded as he started to find his range from the baseline, stepping inside the court and targeting the left-hander's forehand with his heavy topspin. The German matched the World No. 4 as he played aggressively to fire winners past Tsitsipas, saving four set points in the 12th game to move to a tie-break. However, he could not fend off the Greek who clinched the set when Koepfer found the net with a backhand.
In a tight second set, Tsitsipas continued to move Koepfer around the court effectively as he pushed the German back. He continued to close the net well, and despite being tested in long exchanges by Koepfer, Tsitsipas finally found the break in the seventh game. He closed out the match when he broke again.
Tsitsipas will next face sixth seed Filip Krajinovic after he fought past German wild card Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to reach his third quarter-final of the season.
The Serbian also advanced to the last eight on home soil in Belgrade (l. to Berrettini) and Munich (l. to Struff) this year. Krajinovic hit nine aces and won 73 per cent (47/64) of his first-service points to defeat the former World No. 16 in two hours and 25 minutes.
The 29-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals on the clay in Hamburg in 2019, will be aiming to reach a first tour-level semi-final since his run to the last four at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (l. to Monfils) in Rotterdam last February.
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Countryman Laslo Djere also made his way into the quarter-finals after the Serbian defeated Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6(1), 6-1. The World No. 57 came back from a break down in the first set to advance in one hour and 48 minutes. Djere will next face third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas bounced back from his shock first-round exit at Wimbledon by defeating Dominik Koepfer 7-6(2), 6-3 at the Hamburg European Open on Wednesday to record a tour-leading 40th win of the season and reach the quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas, who lost to Frances Tiafoe at SW19, won 86 per cent (30/35) of his first-service points and hit 12 winners in the first set in a high-quality contest to claim victory against the home favourite in one hour and 45 minutes.
How To Watch
The Greek star, who reached the final in Hamburg last September, has enjoyed a strong season on clay this year. He was a finalist at Roland Garros in June (l. to Djokovic), won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title (d. Rublev) in April, and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (d. Norrie) in May.
After Tsitsipas was broken in the first game, he immediately responded as he started to find his range from the baseline, stepping inside the court and targeting the left-hander's forehand with his heavy topspin. The German matched the World No. 4 as he played aggressively to fire winners past Tsitsipas, saving four set points in the 12th game to move to a tie-break. However, he could not fend off the Greek who clinched the set when Koepfer found the net with a backhand.
In a tight second set, Tsitsipas continued to move Koepfer around the court effectively as he pushed the German back. He continued to close the net well, and despite being tested in long exchanges by Koepfer, Tsitsipas finally found the break in the seventh game. He closed out the match when he broke again.
Tsitsipas will next face sixth seed Filip Krajinovic after he fought past German wild card Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to reach his third quarter-final of the season.
The Serbian also advanced to the last eight on home soil in Belgrade (l. to Berrettini) and Munich (l. to Struff) this year. Krajinovic hit nine aces and won 73 per cent (47/64) of his first-service points to defeat the former World No. 16 in two hours and 25 minutes.
The 29-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals on the clay in Hamburg in 2019, will be aiming to reach a first tour-level semi-final since his run to the last four at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (l. to Monfils) in Rotterdam last February.
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Countryman Laslo Djere also made his way into the quarter-finals after the Serbian defeated Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6(1), 6-1. The World No. 57 came back from a break down in the first set to advance in one hour and 48 minutes. Djere will next face third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
