Defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos has continued his unbeaten record at the Ecuador Open in Quito with a hard-fought 6-7(7), 7-6(5), 7-6(8), win over top seed Ivo Karlovic.
The world No.156 survived 39 aces from Karlovic and saved three match points on route to grabbing the dramatic victory. The serving quality of both players was exceptional with no break points occurring throughout the entire match (Burgos won 80% of his service points and Karlovic won 83%).
“It was a pretty tough game, I knew I was not going to have a rhythm and that one point was going to be worth a lot.” Said Estrella Burgos.
This year the Dominican is bidding to win his third consecutive title in Quinto, a tournament where he is yet to lose a match. The 36-year-old has never reached an ATP final anywhere else apart from Quito. In 2015 he defeated Feliciano Lopez in the final followed by Thomaz Bellucci the following year.
Now on a 12-match winning streak at the event, Estrella Burgos will play Italian qualifier Federico Gaio in the last eight. Gaio will play in his first quarter-final of the ATP Tour after defeating Austria’s Gerald Melzer 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6(2).
Third seed Paolo Lorenzi enjoyed a more straightforward journey into the next round with a 6-4, 6-4, win over Matthew Ebden. The Italian world No.46 won 88% (23/26) of his first service points and didn’t face a single break point throughout the encounter.
Lorenzi will face American veteran Rajeev Ram on Friday. The 32-year-old utilized his experience on the tour to defeat Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker 7-6(5), 6-3, in just under 80 minutes. Ram will now play in his first ever ATP quarter-final on clay.
“I like playing here. In conditions like this, it’s all about serve and return,” Ram told atpworldtour.com. “Not too many points go past that, so it’s important to be sharp in those areas.”
Friday’s order of play
