Jan 21, 2024; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Andrey Rublev off Russia hits a shot during his match against Alex de Minaur of Australia in the forth round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open 2024. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia smashed 10 aces, saved five of six break points and knocked out No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in a quarterfinal showdown at the ABN AMRO Open on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
While he committed twice as many unforced errors as Rublev (22 to 11), de Minaur still controlled most aspects of the match. Down 4-2 in the first-set tiebreaker, he ran off four straight points before winning his second set point. In the third set, he won 17 of 22 first-serve points and saved all three break points he faced.
The Australian will play No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the semifinals after Dimitrov outlasted Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4.
Top-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner won his 200th career tour-level match when Canadian opponent Milos Raonic retired due to a right hip injury, down 7-6 (4), 1-1. Sinner's opponent will be Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, a 7-5, 7-6 (4) victor over Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori.
IEB+ Argentina Open
In an all-Argentine quarterfinal battle, Federico Coria upset No. 5 seed Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-4 in Buenos Aires.
Coria served three aces without a double fault and converted five of nine break-point chances against Baez. His semifinal foe will be countryman and wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta, who beat Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3.
The other semifinal will see No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain face No. 3 seed Nicolas Jarry of Chile. Alcaraz got past Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori 7-6 (1), 6-1, while Jarry advanced after No. 6 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina retired with the score at one set apiece.
Delray Beach Open
No. 2 seed Frances Tiafoe eased into the semifinals by beating Italian lucky loser Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 6-2 in Florida.
While Cobolli amassed a 7-4 edge in aces and saved seven of 11 break points, Tiafoe was too strong. He won not only 23 of 29 first-service points (79.3 percent), but also 13 of 18 second-service points (72.2 percent). Tiafoe set up an all-American semifinal showdown with No. 3 seed Tommy Paul, who beat Australia's Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-3.
In Friday's two late matches, No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-3, and Marcos Giron was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over wild card Patrick Kypson.
--Field Level Media
