Rising Australian Chris O’Connell is homing in on a career-best rating after reaching his second ATP quarter-final of the 12 months with a stirring comeback triumph in Morocco.
The Sydneysider, who was No.153 on the planet this time final 12 months, is now poised to threaten his career-best rating of 78 after defeating Dutch No.1 Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-0 within the Grand Prix Hassan II clay courtroom occasion in Marrakech on Thursday.
It was a very notable win after the style by which O’Connell dropped the opening set.
The 28-year-old had raced right into a 5-0 lead solely to get a sinking feeling because the Dutchman gained 5 straight video games to tie it up.
Regrouping, O’Connell then took the set to a tiebreak and eked out a set level earlier than van de Zandschulp hit again to seal the stanza on a exceptional marathon level that he gained with a passing forehand.
If O’Connell felt dispirited, there was no signal of it as he dominated the remainder of the competition to earn the scalp of the world No.31 after two and three-quarter hours.
It represented one other respectable sufferer in a season for O’Connell that is already featured him beating Roberto Bautista-Agut earlier than giving the season’s stand-out participant Daniil Medvedev a scare in Qatar.
O’Connell will subsequent meet Russia’s Pavel Kotov, the world No.114, in his second last-eight look of the 12 months, with a primary ATP semi-final since San Diego final 12 months beckoning.
Victory over the person from Moscow would then transport the Aussie to a brand new career-best rating within the area of No.70, with the promise of going larger throughout the clay courtroom season.
O’Connell, although, is the final Aussie standing within the singles after his fellow Sydneysider Alexei Popyrin was trounced 6-1 6-3 by British No.2 Dan Evans, the match’s second seed.
It was plain crusing for Evans after he broke Popyrin’s supply within the opening recreation of the match.
With two extra breaks, Evans raced to the primary set towards the world No.95 in simply 27 minutes and although Popyrin confirmed extra resolve within the second stanza, he suffered one other break to go 4-2 behind and there was no means again.
Evans will face Andrea Vavassori for a spot within the semi-finals after the Italian got here from behind to beat Spain’s Jaume Munar 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in three-and-a-quarter hours.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
