Third-seed Aslan Karatsev saved a match point to beat Aljaz Bedene 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) reaching the quarter finals at the Serbia Open in Belgrade.
Karatsev came back from an early break down by winning five of his next six games to take a 6-3 lead in the opening set. The second set went on serve in the first seven games before Bedene converted his third break point in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Karatsev broke straight back at deuce for 4-5, but Bedene claimed his second break in the 10th game to take a 6-4 lead.
Both players traded breaks in the fourth and fifth games of the decisive set. Bedene earned a match point at 6-5 in the third set, but he missed a backhand down the line and Karatsev held serve at love forcing the match to the tie-break. Karatsev got the decisive mini-break to win the third set after Bedene made his third double fault.
Karatsev reached the Australian Open semifinal and won the Dubai title in his breakthrough 2021 season.
“The weather conditions were so cold. The ball doesn’t move so you have to play long rallies. He played really good and was serving well. I was a bit lucky in the end, the difference was one or two points. I was lucky that I managed the match and was able to win”, said Karatsev.
Karatsev set up Italy’s Gianluca Mager, who edged Alexei Popyrin 7-5 6-2 in 1 hour and 25 minutes. Mager went up a break in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Popyrin broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Mager missed three break points at 4-4. Mager broke serve at love to take a 6-5 lead and held at 15 to take a 7-5 lead.
Mager broke serve in the third and seventh games to take a 5-2 lead. He saved a break point in the eighth game before converting his third match point.
Federico Delbonis edged past Dusan Lajovic 6-3 2-4 6-4. Lajovic broke Delbonis, who was serving for the match at 5-2 in the third set. Lajovic fended off five match points and earned another break point in a marathon 10th game, but Lajovic sealed the third set 6-4 after 2 hours and 24 minutes. Taro Daniel came back from a set down to beat John Millman 3-6 6-2 6-3 after 2 hours and 14 minutes to reach his first tour-level quarter final since Tokyo 2019.
