Lajovic Digs Deep In Buenos Aires

Dusan Lajovic proved on Wednesday at the Argentina Open that he can never be counted out. The third-seeded Serbian erased two set points in the opening set and three more in the second set before defeating Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez 7-6(6), 7-6(6) to reach the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires.

Lajovic fought back from 4/6 in the first-set tie-break and erased three set points on his serve at 5-6 in the second set, two of which were removed by clean winners. The 29-year-old also clawed back from 1/5 in the second-set tie-break before advancing in two hours and eight minutes.

The Serbian improved to 7-3 this year. Lajovic helped guide Serbia to the title last month at the inaugural ATP Cup (d. Spain) and advanced to the third round at the Australian Open. He currently sits at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 23.

Awaiting him in the next round is eighth seed Casper Ruud, who ruthlessly dismissed Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1, 6-0 in 58 minutes. The Norwegian launched winners from all parts of the court and was particularly potent in return games, winning 24 of 39 return points to break Carballes Baena five times.

Pedro Sousa snuck into the main draw as a lucky loser when Cristian Garin withdrew, but the 31-year-old Portuguese is making the most of his opportunity. He defeated Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 7-6(3), 7-6(5) for his first ATP Tour quarter-final. Sousa will face the winner of fourth-seeded Croatian Borna Coric and Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.