World No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied to defeat Nordea Open champion Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-4 after two hours and 10 minutes.
Next, he will face American 17th Tommy Paul, who overpowered ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz in a three-setter.
The Canadian got off to a fast start in the first set after breaking the 24-year-old in the opening game, holding to take a 2-0 lead.
The matchup was interrupted briefly after he accidentally hit himself on the chin with his racquet, getting a small cut, which required medical attention for a bandage up.
Minutes later, play resumed, and that was when the battle intensified.
In the fourth game, and on his fourth attempt, the 27th seed converted his first break of serve over his adversary to level up at 2-2.
After breaking, playing deep from the baseline, the World No. 32 took the lead for the first time in the set to open a 3-2 advantage.
The Buenos Aires native saved two break points against him in the sixth game, which featured the longest point in the match, a 25-shot rally, recovering lost ground, and holding his nerve to stay ahead at 4-3.
A close opener saw Auger-Aliassime breaking in a crucial moment at 6-5, serving for the set flawlessly to close out 7-5 in one hour and 15 minutes.
The 22-year-old won 87 percent of the first serve points and 50 percent with the second.
In addition, he hit nine winners and 14 unforced errors compared to his opponent’s 8 and 12, respectively.
As the second set wore on, the parity between both players continued as they held serve quickly until the Montreal-born player broke in the third game, following to extend his lead at 3-1.
From there, the pace quickened, seeing the four-time ATP titlist holding onto his advantage for much of the set, producing a double break, in the process, before serving for the match at 5-2.
However, Cerundolo raised to break straight back and held, narrowing the gap to 4-5.
Erratic, Auger-Aliassime struggled to secure victory, ultimately winning a dramatic last game to notch the triumph and move into the round of 16.
He finished with 20 winners and 28 unforced errors, firing six aces and committing eight double faults, which nearly cost him high.
Moreover, he won 76 percent of the first serve points while his rival won 70 percent on his.
Canada’s top racquet defeated Spaniard Pablo Martinez 7-6(5), 6-4 in his opening match at the BNP Paribas Open, recording his first singles victory in the tournament since 2019.
The young star, who enjoyed his breakout season in 2022, winning all four of his ATP titles to date, which helped him achieve a career-high at No. 6, could not make it through to the second round in the last two editions of the event.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Miami Open semifinalist earned his first ATP Masters 1000 win in 2023 by beating American Jack Sock in their second-round clash on Saturday.
Next, Auger-Aliassime will face Paul, who is displaying high-level tennis, aiming to advance to the quarterfinals in Tennis Paradise.
In 2023, the World No. 19 finished runner-up to Australian Alex de Minaur at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC early in March.
Late in January, the 25-year-old broke into the Top 20, sitting at a career-high World No. 19.