World number six, Stefanos Tsitsipas, survives #NextGenATP Luca Nardi 7-6(2), 7-6(3) in one hour and 45 minutes and will face either seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz or home favorite, World No. 43 Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament held in Kazakhstan.
In his on-court interview, Tsitsipas spoke about the 19-year-old Italian: “He’s a player that can play very well in the future. I was impressed by his level; he was able to maintain that throughout the entire match. There weren’t any holes.
“I believe today he was able to sustain that level from the beginning to end, and that was extremely impressive.”
In addition, he assessed his performance against Nardi, commenting: “I was trying to do my best, I was trying to switch it up as much as I can, but it wasn’t as easy as I had it planned in my head. He made it difficult today.”
In their first meeting at tour level, the inspired Italian showcased top-level tennis throughout the entire encounter, going the distance to force each set into a tiebreak.
Consistency was crucial in the Greek’s game, nailing victory in straight sets over his young opponent to reach the last eight in Astana.
Serving well, Tsitsipas won 81 percent of his first-serve points and 84 with his second serve compared to his rival 86 and 52 percent, respectively.
Moreover, he fired ten aces, committing just two double faults.
Last week, the two-time Monte Carlo Masters qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the fourth of an eight-player singles field to book a ticket for the year-end championships held in the Italian city of Turin from November 13 to 20.
Seeking to win his first title on the hard surface this season, the 24-year-old awaits the winner of the matchup between Top 10 Hurkacz and Bublik on Thursday.
Ahead of their encounter, the Pole leads the series against the 25-year-old Kazakhstani player 2-1.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Novak Djokovic cruised past Chile’s Cristian Garin 6-1, 6-1 in 62 minutes, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who last Sunday captured his third ATP title of the season, his 89th overall, at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, was untroubled by Garin behind his serve, dictating play to outlast the World No. 81 from the get-go.
Making his tournament debut, Djokovic won an impressive 81 percent of his first-serve points and 86 with his second serve.
Furthermore, he converted five from eight breakpoints, hitting four aces.
“From the start to the end, [it was] a great performance,” he outlined.
“Playing in a new tournament, different conditions, the first match is never easy. Obviously, you are looking to see how you are going to adapt, but I did it perfectly, really, played as well as I can.
“I just made him work and used every opportunity that was presented to me.”
The Serbian, who is looking to qualify for the ATP Finals and currently sits 14th in the Live Race To Turin, will face next World No. 34 Botic van de Zandschulp for the first time on Tour.
In his opening match on Monday, the Dutch player defeated local Beibit Zhukayev 6-1, 6-1.
Also, on Wednesday, fifth seed Andrey Rublev beat China’s Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-2 in 59 minutes, claiming his place in the last eight.
Rublev, 24, opened his campaign by edging Laslo Djere; on Thursday, he plays Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who ousted David Goffin in three sets to make it through his seventh quarterfinal of the year on Tour.
Rublev and Mannarino are tied 1-1 in their series; the last time they met (2021), the latter earned the triumph over World No. 9 in Moscow, playing on the hard courts.
It is the first time Kazakhstan’s capital city is host to an ATP 500 event.