Leonardo Mayer got the better of fellow Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Friday to keep alive his bid for a third trophy at the German Tennis Championships 2018 presented by Kampmann.

Mayer knocked out second seed Schwartzman 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 14 minutes for a place in the semi-finals. The deciding set featured six breaks of serve, but it was 2014 and 2017 champion Mayer who gained control for his 18th victory of the season.

Schwartzman, who lifted the biggest trophy of his career in February at the Rio Open presented by Claro (d. Verdasco), falls in the Hamburg quarter-finals for a second time (also 2014).

Mayer goes onto play Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who overcame qualifier Thiago Monteiro of Brazil 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 earlier in the day. Read More & Watch Three Hot Shots

Later today, top-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem takes on Nicolas Jarry of Chile and third-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta faces Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals.

Marach/Pavic Reach Doubles Final, Qualify For Nitto ATP Finals
Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic advanced to the Hamburg doubles final on Friday to become the first team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Read More

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The top seeds came back to beat Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof 2-6, 6-4, 10-7 in just over 90 minutes for a place in their 12th team final (5-6 record).

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos will take on Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff in the other semi-final on Saturday. Peralta and Zeballos edged their quarter-final against fourth seeds Pablo Cuevas and Marc Lopez 6-7(10), 6-4, 10-8 in two hours.

Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic become the first players to clinch a spot at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 11-18 November at The O2 in London. The No. 1 team qualified for the elite eight-player, eight-team field for the first time by reaching their eighth final of 2018 on Saturday at the German Tennis Championships 2018 presented by Kampmann.

The Austrian and Croatian served as Nitto ATP Finals alternates in their debut season last year, making their team debut at The O2 when they stepped in on the final day of round robin play to defeat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Marach previously qualified for the tournament in 2009-10 alongside Lukasz Kubot.

“For me, it’s the best tournament in the world,” said Marach. “People in London are great and I love to play there. I had some of my best matches in London, such as the 2017 Wimbledon final, although we lost it, and I was at The O2 in 2009 and 2010. So I’m very happy to qualify again.”

“It’s a big thing and we have qualified quite early,” said Pavic. “For sure it takes the pressure off. I remember last year when we were fighting for London around Nos. 8-9-10 at the end of the season, we always had our eyes on the [ATP] Doubles Race To London. It was a great experience to play there last year as alternates. It was a goal to be there this year and we’re looking forward to it.”

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Marach and Pavic, who respectively celebrated their 38th and 25th birthdays earlier this month, made an impressive start to their 2018 campaign. They went undefeated through January, with titles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and the ASB Classic before claiming their maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open. They extended their winning streak to 17 matches before a loss in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final (l. to Herbert/Mahut).

The second-year duo won their fourth title of the season at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, the same week that Pavic rose to become the youngest No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings since Todd Woodbridge in March 1976. Marach and Pavic also reached clay-court finals at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Roland Garros.

Italian Matteo Berrettini advanced to his first ATP World Tour semi-final on Friday at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad with an upset win over eighth seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-4, 6-3 in 64 minutes. The World No. 84 won 30 of his 32 first-service points against the 2016 champion (d. Haase).

“It is an unbelievable feeling,” said Berrettini. “I played a great match and served really well, with breaks of serve early in each set. I was really focused as I knew just how experienced he is.”

Nick Kyrgios looked to be in top form ahead of Wimbledon, before losing against Kei Nishikori in the third round. But in his first match since, the Australian got right back on track.

Second seed Kyrgios had few issues in dismissing American qualifier Noah Rubin 7-5, 6-2 in 56 minutes on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals at the BB&T Atlanta Open. In his only previous appearance in Atlanta, Kyrgios won his second of four ATP World Tour titles, defeating top seed and home favourite John Isner in the final.

“I always feel comfortable playing here,” Kyrgios said. “Obviously had a fair bit of success here. I just feel comfortable. The court suits my game-style. I can serve well, I can make a couple of returns and play aggressively.”

The 23-year-old has now reached the last eight in four of his five most recent events. He is pursuing his second trophy of the 2018 campaign, after triumphing at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp in the first week of the year to claim his first title in Australia.

Kyrgios hit 15 aces in front of a packed crowd on Stadium Court in Georgia, winning 83 per cent of his service points. The Canberra-native was broken to start the second set with a couple of sloppy unforced errors, but had no issues from there on out, constantly stepping into his returns to put Rubin on the back foot.

“It’s perfect serving conditions on that court,” Kyrgios said. “If you’re playing well and you’re seeing the ball well and you’re serving well, it’s tough to lose here.”

Kyrgios will next face World No. 73 Cameron Norrie. The Brit, who was No. 275 in the ATP Rankings this time last year, beat sixth seed Jeremy Chardy 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour, 45 minutes.

Norrie entered the 2018 campaign with two tour-level match wins. But the left-handed 22-year-old now has 10 this season, and will try to reach his second ATP World Tour semi-final against Kyrgios.

“He’s always been a tough competitor,” Kyrgios said. “It’s good to see him coming through and having some great results. He’s a tricky player, he’s a lefty, great backhand. Lefties are always tough on a surface like this. I’m going to go out there, nothing’s going to change on my end. I’m going to serve big, play big and we’ll see how it goes.”

Did You Know?
Kyrgios and Norrie will open their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry on Friday. Their most recent meeting was in the 2013 Australian Open Boys’ Singles event; Kyrgios lifted the trophy without dropping a set.

Three years ago, Marcos Baghdatis reached the final of the BB&T Atlanta Open in his debut at the tournament. Now, it appears the former World No. 8 is in good form to make another big run at the event.

The Cypriot veteran upset #NextGenATP American and reigning Delray Beach Open champion Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday. The World No. 95 ousted the fifth seed in 77 minutes to advance to his second tour-level quarter-final of the season.

“It’s been a tough year. Before Miami I was playing pretty well. After Miami, I struggled a bit until Wimbledon. But what happened, happened. Now I’m here and I’m in the quarter-finals,” Baghdatis said. “I’m happy. I try to play every match as it’s the same and try to go as far as possible in the tournament.”

While Baghdatis arrived in Atlanta having lost seven of his previous eight matches, he has now won through to the last eight without dropping a set. The 33-year-old will next face Aussie fourth seed Matthew Ebden, who beat home favourite Donald Young 6-4, 6-4 in 64 minutes.

“He’s playing well lately. I know he has confidence in himself, that’s for sure,” Baghdatis said. “It’s going to be a tough one. But I’ll just try and be as solid as possible like today and like the other day and I’ll try to figure the way how to win on the court.”

Ebden did well against the Georgia-resident Young’s serve, winning 39 per cent of return points. The 30-year-old saved three of the four break points he faced to advance.

“I knew he was going to be tough here, because he lives here. He practises in these conditions and he’s as comfortable as anyone in these conditions, I suppose,” Ebden said. “I had to really stay on top of him and I had to really dominate with my game… I’m very happy with how I went about it.”

Brit Cameron Norrie, who was No. 275 in the ATP Rankings this time last year, fresh off his career at Texas Christian University, beat sixth seed Jeremy Chardy 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in one hour, 45 minutes. 

Norrie entered the campaign with two tour-level match wins. But the left-handed 22-year-old now has 10 in 2018, and will try to reach his second ATP World Tour semi-final against second seed Nick Kyrgios or American Noah Rubin.

Did You Know?
All four seeded-players who competed on Wednesday — No. 1 John Isner, No. 3 Hyeon Chung, No. 7 Mischa Zverev and No. 8 Ryan Harrison — all moved into Friday’s quarter-finals.