ATP Hamburg: Roberto Bautista Agut, Andrey Rublev and Cristian Garin reach quarters

Becoming a father a couple of days ago, Roberto Bautista Agut has an extra motive to show his best tennis in Hamburg this week. The 4th seed is through to the quarter-final, defeating Dominik Koepfer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes. The German took a set away from Novak Djokovic on his Masters 1000 debut in Rome last week, playing well again but falling short in the final four games to propel the Spaniard through. Bautista Agut suffered no less than six breaks, delivering seven from 17 opportunities to find himself over the top. From 2-0 down, Roberto grabbed six of the next seven games to take the opening set 6-3 and gain momentum. From game four, the second set offered five straight breaks, three for Koepfer who fended off two break points in game nine to end that streak and bring the set home 6-3. The German rattled off three straight games in the final set to forge a 3-2 advantage, only to lose 16 of the last 19 points!

Recovering his strokes, Bautista Agut broke in games six and eight, holding at love at 5-3 to push himself into the last eight. The 5th seed Andrey Rublev ousted the American qualifier and coeval Tommy Paul 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in an hour and 36 minutes. Andrey had the advantage in sets he won, suffering two breaks and delivering five to find himself over the top. The Russian played on a high level in the opener, bringing it home in some 20 minutes. He broke at 15 in the fourth game to forge the advantage, confirming the break with three winners in game five. Rublev scored another break in game six and closed the set a few minutes later for a 6-1, taking 20 of the final 23 points and hoping for more of the same in set number two. There, Paul raised his level to forge an early lead with a break in game two, wasting two set points on the return at 5-2 before wrapping it up on his serve for a 6-3.

Andrey Rublev and Roberto Bautista Agut won the second-round matches in three sets.

Starting all over, Andrey secured three straight breaks in the decider, sealing the deal with a smash winner in game eight to remain on the title course. Cristian Garin will also compete in the quarters, ousting Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 7-6 in an hour and 37 minutes. Cristian produced better numbers on both the first and second serve, getting broken twice and securing six breaks to move over the top in straight sets. From 2-2, the Chilena conquered the remaining four games of the opener for a 6-2, opening a 5-2 gap in set number two before Yannick rattled off four straight games, moving 6-5 in front and serving for the set. Garin broke back in the last moment to set up a tie break, winning it 7-3 to cross the finish line. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3cryczB