France’s Lucas Pouille advanced to the last eight of the ATP tournament in Stuttgart on Wednesday, surprising third seed Daniil Medvedev with a hard-fought 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-2 victory.
Pouille took control in the third set to battle past Medvedev and set up a quarter-final meeting with local favourite Jan-Lennard Struff who cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, meanwhile, suffered a second round exit at the hands of Milos Raonic, losing a gruelling game 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (1/7).
Raonic, 28, who missed the whole of the clay season with a knee problem, has now recorded two gruelling three-set wins in Stuttgart to reach the quarter-finals in his first ATP tour appearance since March.
Raonic will face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the quarter-finals, after he sprang a surprise against Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier on Wednesday.
The Hungarian battled to a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 5-7 win over fourth seed Basilashvili, who sits 35 places above him in the world rankings.
Fucsovics has now beaten Basilashvili in three of their four meetings this season.
Results
2nd rd
Lucas Pouille (FRA) bt Daniil Medvedev (RUS x3) 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-2
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 6-2, 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN x6) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/1)
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x4) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 7-5