Aslan Karatsev has but to drop a set within the 2023 ATP Tour season, however he needed to save three set factors on Wednesday on the Tata Open Maharashtra to take care of that excellent document. After erasing one within the opening set of a 7-6(7), 7-6(8) victory in opposition to Tim van Rijthoven, the eighth seed fought off two extra in set two to advance to the quarter-finals on the ATP 250.
Karatsev broke serve for the primary time on his sixth break level of the match halfway via set two, however then dropped serve from 40/0 as van Rijthoven created his first possibilities on return. After Karatsev did not convert two match factors on return at 5-4 — his seventh and eighth break factors of the competition — he closed out the match in an prolonged tie-break on his fourth alternative.
Subsequent up for the 29-year-old is Spain’s Pedro Martinez, who got here from behind to upset fourth seed Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. France’s Benjamin Bonzi additionally scored an upset on Wednesday, knocking off third seed and returning finalist Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 7-6(4).
High seed Marin Cilic made a successful begin to the brand new season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win in opposition to Roberto Carballes Baena. The Croatian, searching for his third Pune title after back-to-back triumphs in 2009-10, fired 16 aces and gained greater than 80 per cent of factors on first serve. He’ll subsequent face Tallon Griekspoor for a spot within the semi-finals.
“For me the match was actually good, degree,” Cilic stated. “First set was good tennis. Roberto made a break within the second, performed good. He is very stable… He performed fairly effectively, and what a technique to end the match, an ideal third set and I simply performed some actually good tennis there.”
Talking concerning the significance of successful his first match of the season, he added: “It is at all times essential, it provides you slightly bit extra positives after coming via the offseason, working exhausting, practising. However it’s not the identical while you come on the court docket so it feels good, and I am trying ahead to persevering with that positivity.”
Second seed Botic van de Zandschulp additionally bought off the mark with a 7-5, 6-4 win in opposition to Flavio Cobolli, whereas sixth seed Filip Krajinovic outlasted Michael Mmoh 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.