Top seed Daniil Medvedev reached the Cincinnati Masters quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of fellow former champion Grigor Dimitrov.
The world number two stretched his record against the Bulgarian to 3-1.
Russian Medvedev won the Cincinnati title in 2019 while Dimitrov took the trophy at the key US Open warm-up event in 2017. Champion in Toronto last weekend, Medvedev will next face either Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta who beat ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.
“What makes it tough (for the Cincinnati-Toronto double), it’s two weeks in a row against the best players in the world,” said the 25-year-old.
“I am still young, healthy and feeling 100 percent, so that is why I want to try and do it.”
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas needed a fightback to tame Italian Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The Greek improved to 47-13, increasing his ATP season match-win lead.
Tsitsipas said saving three break points in the first game of the second set changed the match trajectory.
“I’m glad I overcame that obstacle,” he said. “I stayed in and waited for opportunities to present themselves. A fighting spirit was very crucial.”
Third-seeded Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev defeated Argentine Guido Pella 6-2, 6-3 in 73 minutes while never facing a break point.
Fourth seed Andrey Rublev ended the run of Gael Monfils with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5) win while Félix Auger-Aliassime beat fifth seed Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-3.
Results
Third round
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x1) bt Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 6-3, 6-3
Pablo Carreño-Busta (ESP x7) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL x9) 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3)
Andrey Rublev (RUS x4) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5)
Benoît Paire (FRA) bt John Isner (USA) 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (2/7), 6-1
Casper Ruud (NOR x8) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARG x10) 6-4, 6-3
Alexander Zverev (GER x3) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-2, 6-3
Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x12) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA x5) 6-4, 6-3
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x2) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
With AFP Inputs