He has to wait for his first quarter again in a “1000” Flavio Cobolli, released in the round of 16 of the “National Bank Open”, Sesto ATP Masters 1000 seasonal, on stage on the Toronto cement (where he played with alternate years with Montreal), in Canada. The 23-year-old Roman, n.17 of the Ranking (“Best”) and 13 of the seeding-in those who were the second round of eighth from “1000” in the career after those reached in Cincinnati 2024-gave 6-4 4-6 (1), at the end of a ‘battle’ almost two and a half hours, to the left-handed of the American Ben Shelton, N.7 ATP and fourth favorite of the Seeding.
Cobolli did not take advantage of a 5-3 advantage in the decisive set but Shelton, for his part, has not transformed a match-point into the twelfth game. For the blue, the mockery of having put more successful than his opponent on the report, 31 against 26, and less free errors, 44 against 46, but to have still lost the game.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Shelton will face the Australian Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals, n.8 of the ranking and 9 of the seeding, who has imposed himself for 6-2 4-6 6-4 on the American Frances Tiafoe, n.12 ATP and seventh seeded. Between the American and the 26 -year -old from Sydney, a finalist in this tournament in 2023 (first and only “1000” final for ‘Demon’ so far) beaten by Sinner, there are no precedents.
In the fourth of the lower part of the scoreboard, the American Taylor Fritz (2) and the Russian Andrey Rublev (6) will be faced, winning respectively on the Czech Jiri Lehecka (19) for 7-6 (4) 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) and on the Spanish Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (20), forced to retire on 6-7 (3) 7-6 (2) 3-0 for his opponent. In the other two quarters they will see the German Alexander Zverev (1) and the Australian Alexei Popyrn (18) and the American Alex Michelsen (26) and the Russian Karen Khachanov (11).
