Kyle Edmund defeats Matteo Berrettini to reach China Open quarter-finals
Grigor Dimitrov suffers surprise defeat against Dusan Lajovic; Juan Martin del Potro qualifies for first ATP Finals appearance since 2013
Wednesday 3 October 2018 17:10, UK
British No 1 Kyle Edmund moved into the China Open quarter-finals with a hard-fought three-set victory against Italian qualifier Matteo Berrettini.
The 23-year-old won 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 against the world No 58 in Beijing to set up a meeting with another qualifier Dusan Lajovic, after the Serbian earlier knocked out third seed Grigor Dimitrov.
Edmund, part of Team Europe's winning side at the Laver Cup last month, is hoping for a positive finish to the season after struggling with illness, including recurring bouts of tonsillitis, during the campaign.
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The fifth seed began well by breaking Berrettini's opening service game but was broken back immediately before Edmund secured a decisive break, with a series of winners, to take the first set.
Edmund saved break point chances in the third and seventh games of the second set but was to threaten his opponent's serve as the second set went to a tiebreak, which Berrettini won convincingly to force a decider.
The third set was also fiercely contested as both players remained resolute behind their serve before Edmund earned a vital break at 5-5, on his second opportunity of the set, before saving a break point of his own to serve out for victory.
The world No 16 will next play Lajovic after he defeated Dimitrov 6-4 2-6 6-4 to cause the first major surprise of the men's draw.
Dimitrov, world No 8, was playing his first competitive event since a first-round exit at the US Open but saw his hopes of a first title in 2018 delayed as he made nine double faults in a disappointing performance.
This year's US Open finalist Juan Martin del Potro avoided an early exit as the world No 4 hit 11 aces in a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) victory against Russia's Karen Khachanov.
The towering Argentinean, top seed at the ATP 500 event, booked his spot at the season-ending ATP Finals with victory and will next face Filip Krajinovic, who knocked out Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, in the last eight.
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Tennis is on Sky Sports screens with the Japan Open & China Open while we will also have live coverage of ever match from the ATP Finals in November.
