TOKYO (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas won the first ATP main-draw match with fellow rising star Alex de Minaur 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 to reach the Japan Open quarterfinals on Thursday.
Both are enjoying breakthrough seasons, having reached two finals each and broken into the top 50.
In this second-round match, the unseeded De Minaur struggled to hold serve, facing 20 break points and saving only 14. Meanwhile, the fifth-seeded Tsitsipas battled to land first serves but still won most of them, and feasted on the Australian's service.
Tsitsipas will face third-seeded Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals on Friday. The home favorite has won this tournament twice.
Unseeded Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany beat Jeremy Chardy of France for the third time in four meetings, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 6-4. Struff's first quarterfinal since May will be against Denis Shapovalov of Canada.
In late matches, second-seeded Kevin Anderson beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, and eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1).
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