World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will be back in action at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday to contest his quarterfinal match against lucky loser Jan Lennard Struff.
On Tuesday, the German reached back-to-back quarterfinals at a Masters 1000 level, rallying to secure a 7-6(7), 6-7(7), 6-3 victory over Argentine Pedro Cachin in a match decided by small margins.
The much-awaited encounter will see the Greek player, who last week made it to the finals in Barcelona - lost to Carlos Alcaraz - meet Struff for a sixth time on Tour, leading his opponent 3-2 in their series.
The 24-year-old began his title quest against wild card Dominic Thiem on Saturday, emerging victorious from a dramatic match in which he edged the 2020 U.S. Open champion in a third-set tiebreak.
In his third-round matchup, the 2022 semifinalist faced 25th seed, Sebastian Baez, dropping a set before nailing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win to book his place in the last 16 against World No. 42 Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
Should he overcome Struff, the 9-time ATP titlist will reach his third semifinal in Madrid; in 2019, he lost the final to Novak Djokovic.
The two-time Rolex Monte-Carlo champion set off his 2023 season strong, going the distance at the Australian Open, falling to World No. 1 Djokovic in the championship match.
Last month, top American racquet, Taylor Fritz, halted his title defense in the Principality, defeating the Athens native in the quarterfinals.
In Barcelona, he dropped just one set en route to the final, losing to the home favorite, Alcaraz, who claimed his second crown in a row at the event.
Tsitsipas is seeking to win his first title of the season and a third Masters 1000 trophy.
Meanwhile, the German player has been displaying solid performances on Spanish soil after losing in qualifying to Aslan Karatsev, who will face Zhizhen Zhang, the first Chinese man to progress to a Masters 1000 quarterfinal, also on Thursday.
The 33-year-old earned a second chance to enter the main draw in Madrid as a lucky loser, and thus far, he has made the most out of it.
The World No. 65 powered past Italian Lorenzo Sonego, American Ben Shelton, in-form Dusan Lajovic, and Cachin.
By mid-April, he made it to the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo, falling to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
In 2020, he attained a career-high at World No. 29, dropping out of the Top 100 in June 2022 due to a right foot injury.
Ever since, Struff has been on a comeback trail, notching good results, competing in several ATP Challengers and on Tour.
As of today, the European clay court swing has seen the best tennis from Struff, delivering good performances and showcasing great consistency.