Tomic Sets Bellucci Quarter-final Clash

Despite an ace count half his opponent’s, Bernard Tomic delivered a composed performance at crucial moments to end qualifier Ryan Harrison’s three-match Shenzhen Open winning streak on Thursday. The Australian No. 4 seed broke in the final game of the match to emerge with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory in just over two hours.

It marks the 23 year old’s eighth ATP World Tour quarter-final this season and sets up a clash with Brazilian lefty Thomaz Bellucci, an earlier winner over lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano. Tomic withstood 20 aces from Harrison and won fewer first-serve points than the American, 68 per cent to 81 per cent. But the Aussie made bigger inroad’s on his opponent’s second serve to extend his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Harrison to 2-0. It was the pair’s first clash since 2012.

Bellucci, meanwhile, has yet to drop a set after winning through to the quarter-finals with a narrow 7-6(2), 7-6(4) victory over Fabbiano. The unseeded lefty prevailed on the back of 13 aces to reach the last eight at an ATP World Tour event for the first time this season. He has split two previous FedEx Head2Head meetings with Tomic.

Fabbiano had replaced fifth seed and #NextGen star Alexander Zverev as a lucky loser on Wednesday only minutes before taking the court to defeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka. The 27-year-old Fabbiano fell short of reaching his second quarter-final of the season against Bellucci, who backed up his first-round dismissal of Gastao Elias.

In doubles, third seeds Mate Pavic and Michael Venus posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jonathan Erlich and Santiago Gonzalez. They will take on Fabio Fognini and Robert Lindstedt after the unseeded pair routed Pablo Andujar and Richard Gasquet 6-0, 6-1.