Alexander Bublik moved into the quarter-finals of the Open Sud de France as he continues to put a poor Australian Open behind him.
Bublik is seeded sixth in Montpellier but is coming off a second-round exit at the hands of Gael Monfils in Melbourne.
However, the world number 35 moved into the last eight on Wednesday, though he needed three sets to do so against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the qualifier taking the second set to force a decider.
Bublik claimed a 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 win and will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters.
Bautista Agut claimed the first set against Gilles Simon 6-4 and was 3-2 up in the second when the Frenchman retired injured.
Besides Filip Krajinovic’s 6-4 7-6 (7-2) defeat of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the rest of the day’s action comprised of round of 32 matchups. Seventh seed Ugo Humbert crashed out in three sets to four-time champion Richard Gasquet, while Adrian Mannarino and Mackenzie McDonald both prevailed.
Meanwhile, at the Tata Open Maharashtra, Lorenzo Musetti claimed his first win of 2022 following an impressive 2021.
The 19-year-old, who progressed to the last 16 at Roland Garros last year, fought back from losing the first-set tie-break to defeat Aleksandar Vukic in three sets.
“Aleksandar was playing good, he was serving really big, and I tried to stay calm even in the second set, [which] I didn’t win. It didn’t go the way that I planned. But the third set was a really great set,” Musetti said.
“I stayed really focused with the right attitude and I won a great match with a tough opponent. I’m really happy to be here and to be in the quarter-finals.”
Also victorious in Pune were Joao Sousa, Daniel Altmaier and Kamil Majchrzak, whom Musetti will face next.