Jakub Mensik beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 7-6 (9-7) after 1 hour and 54 minutes at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna to reach his fifth quarter final at ATP Tour this year.
Mensik saved a break point in the first game of the opening set with an ace. Kecmanovic fended off two break points to hold serve after three deuces, but Mensik converted his second break point after three deuces in the eighth game with a backhand down the line. The Czech player served out with a hold at 15 with another backhand down the line. He fired 13 aces.
Kecmanovic fended off two break points in the first game of the second set with a stop volley and his serve. Mensik saved a break point in both of the fourth and sixth games. Mensik earned a break point in the 11th game, but Kezmanovic saved it. Mensik fended off a set point in the 12th game to send the match to the tie-break.
Mensik earned a match point at 6-5 in the tie-break, as Keczmanovic hit a forehand down the line into the net. The Serbian player saved it to draw level to 6-6.
Kecmanovic earned a set point at 7-6, but Mensik saved it with a forehand down the line. Mensik earned the decisive mini-break to win the tie-break 9-7 when Kecmanovic made an unforced error on his serve.
Mensik won 86% of his first serve points an saved all four of the break points he faced during the match. The 19-year-old Czech player has moved inside the top 50 in the ATP Live Ranking. He is third in the ATP Live Ranking to Jeddah, trailing second-placed Alex Michelsen by just 25 points. He is contention to make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Mensik came through two qualifying matches before beating this year’s Toronto Masters 1000 champion Alexei Popyrin.
Mensik has a record of 4 wins to 3 defeats against top 10 players. He beat Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov before losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarter final at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai.
Mensik set up a quarter final match against either Alex De Minaur or Flavio Cobolli.
This year’s US Open semifinalist Jack Draper beat Luciano Darderi 7-5 6-1 in 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Draper will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Tomas Machac.
Draper fired 14 aces and did not drop a point on his first serve in the first set. The British player saved two break points with a first serve winner and a passing shot.
Draper converted his second break point in the 11th game to seal the first set 7-5. The British player went up a set and a break after Darderi made a forehand error and mishit a slice. Draper faced a break point for the first time in the match, but he saved it with a backhand passing shot. Draper earned two breaks in the fifth and seventh games to win the second set 6-1.
