Jared Donaldson recorded the biggest win of his career earlier this week at the Western & Southern Open when he upset World No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut. On Thursday, the 20-year-old American achieved another milestone, advancing to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final by defeating Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 7-6(4).

The Californian was 0-13 in Round of 16 matches entering the match, including last week’s defeat to Diego Schwartzman in Montreal when he led 6-0, 2-0, and had been denied by Basilashvili in the final round of Roland Garros qualifying in 2015 and 2016. He turned the page Thursday, putting pressure on his opponent’s serve and going two for 12 on break point chances. After falling behind a mini-break early in the second-set tie-break, he won the final three points to cement the one-hour, 36-minute victory.

Donaldson leads all #NextGenATP Americans with 28 career wins, and could next face 19-year-old Frances Tiafoe, who is tied for fourth on that list with seven following his victory over Coupe Rogers champion Alexander Zverev on Wednesday. Tiafoe plays countryman John Isner, the 2013 Cincinnati finalist, later in the day.

Donaldson is challenging for a place in the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, and stood at eighth in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan entering Cincinnati. The tournament, to be held from 7-11, will feature the top 21-and-under players.

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David Ferrer is regaining his appetite for top-level tennis and the relentless drive that saw him rise to a career-high No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in August 2013. Close to a return to the Top 30, the veteran Spaniard beat his compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday for a place in the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals – his first at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level since the Rolex Paris Masters in November 2015.

The 2015 Cincinnati finalist, who has gone 11-2 since a Wimbledon third-round exit, will next face third-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem or Adrian Mannarino of France on Friday.

Ferrer, who had lost five of his previous seven matches against fellow Spaniards, and No. 11 seed Carreno Busta both struggled for consistency in the early exchanges. But service breaks for Ferrer in the fifth game of the first set and at 1-1 in the second set proved to be enough for his 21st match win of a protracted season, which sparked into life with his 27th ATP World Tour title at the SkiStar Swedish Open (d. Dolgopolov) last month. Ferrer, playing closer to the baseline and quick to move up the court, struck 14 winners, while a forehand in the net from Carreno Busta – his 26th error – ended the 77-minute encounter.

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Grigor Dimitrov recorded his first win in his sixth match against Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday for a place in the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals.

Seventh seed Dimitrov advanced to his eighth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final (or better) with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over del Potro, who struggled due to the intense heat in the closing stages of the pair’s sixth meeting that lasted one hour and 39 minutes.

“He’s a tricky opponent… a super-experienced player,” said Dimitrov. “I definitely had to stay away a little bit from that forehand. I knew if I keep the ball low on his backhand side and just kind of work my way into the court, it would have been the right thing to do.I think I did this thing very, very well today. The short slice really made him very uncomfortable, and he was giving me a lot of short balls, so I could start moving him with my forehand. It was also a bit of a mind game, because we know our game pretty well.”

Dimitrov will now look to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals for the second straight year when he challenges Japan’s Yuichi Sugita. Dimitrov won their lone match at last year’s Masters 1000 tournament in Canada over three sets.

“He’s been playing really well,” said Dimitrov. “I watched quite a few of his matches… The conditions don’t really bother him. He’s going to be definitely a tough opponent to play. I don’t underestimate his ability to play good tennis. [When] you’re in the quarter-final of a Masters 1000 anything can happen. He’s pretty determined, and he’s pretty excited to play, so that makes him even more dangerous.”

Dimitrov got off to the best possible started by opening up a 3-0 lead against del Potro, who was unable to convert one break point on his Bulgarian opponent’s serve at 3-5, 30/40. Del Potro mirrored Dimitrov by winning the first three games of the second set and could not convert three set point chances at 5-4, before the Argentinean physically began to struggle. A doctor was called at the 6-5 changeover, with del Potro insisting he had to finish the match.

Dimitrov is now 31-14 on the season, which includes two ATP World Tour titles, and improves his chances of rising up from his current position of No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London for a debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. Del Potro, the 2012-13 Cincinnati semi-finalist, is now 18-11 on the year.

Sugita, five spots off his career-high of No. 43 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in a career-best year with a 6-7(0), 6-3, 6-3 victory over #NextGenATP Russian Karen Khachanov in two hours.

Two months ago, the 28-year-old Japanese No. 2 captured his first ATP World Tour title at the Antalya Open (d. Mannarino), adding to three ATP Challenger Tour crowns won in 2017.

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Western & Southern Open – Cincinnati, U.S.A.

Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, Juan Martin del Potro, Alexander Zverev, Stefan Kozlov and Tommy Paul were among the stars to meet fans at autograph sessions.

ATP World Tour Uncovered took #NextGenATP Americans Jared Donaldson and Kozlov for a morning of fun at Kings Island. The duo brought along some friends and went on three rides before heading back to site for practice. Both had been a little nervous before the roller coasters, but they loved it.

Sam Querrey gave up two hours of his day off to visit the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The American joined WTA player Nicole Gibbs for an appearance at Seacrest Studios. The duo were joined by hospital patients for a fun-filled hour of Dad Jokes, Head’s Up and Nerf Basketball, which was played over the hospital radio and television stations.

Rafael Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series dominance to 15-0 against Richard Gasquet to start his Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The top-seeded Spaniard saved his only break point faced and converted just the right amount of break points – two – against the Frenchman to advance 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal improved to 21-10 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament and looked prime to fight for his second Cincinnati title this week (also 2013, d. Isner). After Gasquet erased a match point at 30/40, 3-5 in the second set, Nadal served out the match to love.

“I think I played a solid match. I think Richard has a great backhand, and his best shot probably goes against my best shot, too. That probably can make the difference,” Nadal said when asked about his undefeated FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Gasquet.

Regardless of what happens this week, Nadal will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday because of Roger Federer’s withdrawal from Cincinnati (back injury). The Spaniard will be No. 1 for the first time since 6 July 2014. It will mark the fourth different time in his career that the 31 year old has ascended to the top Emirates ATP Ranking.

Nadal will next face countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who toppled Nadal’s Wimbledon conqueror 16^th seed Gilles Muller 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

“I work every day to play better. It’s obvious that was an important start for me, a good one. Now I have another opportunity tomorrow to go on court and play another match. I hope to be ready to play well tomorrow. I think I can do it, because I have been practising well,” Nadal said.

Adrian Mannarino also knocked off a seeded player to reach the third round. The Frenchman beat 15^th seed Sam Querrey 6-2, 7-6(4). Mannarino is coming off his first Masters 1000 quarter-final last week at the Coupe Rogers (l. to Shapovalov). He will next play third seed Dominic Thiem.

Fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan began their campaign for a sixth Western & Southern Open crown on Wednesday in Cincinnati as they defeated Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-2, 6-3.

The American twins improved to a 39-14 record at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament as they dismissed their Spanish opponents in 53 minutes. They last won the title in 2014 (d. Pospisil/Sock), having won their first crown in 2003 (d. Arthurs/Hanley).

Third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares also advanced with victory over a Spanish pairing, beating Pablo Carreno Busta and Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The British/Brazilian duo are looking for their fourth title of the season, to add to trophies in Acapulco, Stuttgart and The Queen’s Club.

Second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo are through to the quarter-finals after beating Diego Schwartzman and Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-2. Kubot and Melo currently lead the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London halfway through what has been a stellar season, highlighted by winning the Wimbledon title (d. Marach/Pavic). They are chasing their third Masters 1000 crown of the year, following victories in Miami and Madrid.

Seventh seeds and last week’s Montreal finalists Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig will open their Cincinnati campaign against Juan Sebastian Cabal and Fabio Fognini, after the Colombian/Italian duo defeated American wild cards Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 6-4.