Fifth seed Kyle Edmund moved into this third ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season on Thursday at the BB&T Atlanta Open, rallying from a set down to defeat the red-hot Peter Gojowczyk 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. 

“I was really pleased to get through that,” said Edmund. “He was hitting really cleanly in the first set and I wasn’t able to get into many points. I’ve been in Atlanta quite awhile to get used to the conditions, so it’s nice to get wins under your belt and get some momentum for the rest of this hard-court swing.”

Gojowczyk, a semi-finalist last week in Newport, led by a break at 3-2 in the deciding set, but Edmund fought back to prevail after two hours of play. Both of the Brit’s previous quarter-finals this year also came on hard-courts in Brisbane and Delray Beach. Next up for Edmund is top seed Jack Sock or Dudi Sela.

Fourth seed Ryan Harrison saved a match point to survive a marathon 6-7(2), 7-6(4), 7-5 encounter with John Millman. The American saved the match point on his serve at 3-5 in the second set, then blasted a pair of return winners en route to breaking Millman in the next game. He secured the lone break of the final set at 5-5, ultimately knocking off a volley winner on his first match point to advance in two hours and 45 minutes.

“I love it here. I grew up playing all the Southern tournaments and being here feels as close to home as it gets,” said Harrison. “Everybody from the crowd to the DJ is willing to step up and help pull you through when you are down a set and a break.

“I would put today’s match in the category of mental maturity,” he added. “One of the things I’ve been focusing on in the past 12 months is understanding that bad things are going to happen, but I’m pretty sure I would have gone down in that match 12 months ago. I think my energy level, the crowd and the way I was able to stay positive helped get me through it.”

Harrison made his first Atlanta semi-final at the age of 19 in 2011, then repeated that feat in 2013. He’s enjoying a career-best season, winning his first ATP World Tour singles title this February in Memphis (d. Basilashvili) and reaching a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 40 earlier this month.

Awaiting Harrison in the quarter-finals is eighth seed and #NextGenATP American Jared Donaldson or wildcard Christopher Eubanks. Harrison has never played Eubanks, but won his lone FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Donaldson this May at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome.

William Blumberg may have the coolest summer job out of all his friends at the University of North Carolina. 

The rising sophomore is taking his first steps in pro events and has already enjoyed success on the ATP Challenger Tour. In just his fourth pro tournament and his first Challenger, Blumberg is through to the quarter-finals of the $75,000 event in Binghamton. The 19 year old made full use of his main draw wild card by defeating seventh seed Denis Kudla in straight sets on Wednesday to reach the last eight.

“It means a lot. I’ve been practising hard and playing really good this summer, so it’s nice to see all the hard work paying off,” said Blumberg. “A lot of the guys playing here are people I grew up playing with and are some of my best friends, so it’s nice to be around them as well.”

Blumberg completed his freshman year at UNC by reaching the finals of the NCAA Championships (l. Kwiatkowski), finishing the year with a 31-3 record in singles and holding a 24-match win streak at one stage. The Connecticut native was fittingly named the 2017 ITA National Rookie of the Year.

But after just a few weeks on the road with the pros, he’s already picked up on some of the main differences between top college players and those at the Challenger level.

“Everyone is talented from a certain level up, but the big thing I’ve noticed is how strong these guys are mentally,” said Blumberg. “Everyone is very professional, especially the top players here. You see them warming up 30 minutes before they practice, eating a very specific way. They don’t waste too much time because this is their job. It’s a little bit different at the college level because some of the players there may have different intentions, which is natural.”

Blumberg is aiming to continue building on his success this summer by playing more Challenger tournaments in the fall. But for now, he’s motivated knowing that his game already stacks up against some of the world’s most elite players.

“A lot of this is mental,” he said. “A lot of these guys are talented and ranked really high, so it’s a matter of believing in yourself and believing you can win these matches.” 

Fabio Fognini will face another mercurial talent Ernests Gulbis on Friday in the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad quarter-finals. Gulbis, who continues his return to consistent form, leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 4-1, but the pair has not met since October 2014.

Fognini, competing in Gstaad for the first time since losing in the first round of qualifying 10 years ago, saved 11 of 15 break points to beat Norbert Gombos 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 for a place in his fourth ATP World Tour quarter-final (or better) of the year.

World No. 310 Gulbis advanced to his first ATP World Tour quarter-final since October 2015 at the Erste Bank Open (l. to Johnson in SFs), with a 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-4 win over fifth seed and last week’s Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag runner-up Paolo Lorenzi in two hours and 39 minutes. Former World No. 10 Gulbis required eight set point opportunities to clinch the first set and saved two set points at 5/6 and 7/8 in the tie-break.

Yannick Hanfmann, currently No. 170 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and contesting just his seventh tour-level match, struck 13 aces to knock out third seed and defending champion Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1 in one hour and 49 minutes. Hanfmann, who recovered from 15/40 at 5-5 in the first set, also reached the BMW Open by FWU quarter-finals as a qualifier in May (l. to Bautista Agut).

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Qualifier Federico Delbonis, who has a liking for the Rothenbaum, venue of the German Tennis Championships 2017, having reached the 2013 final (d. Federer in SFs, l. to Fognini in final), battled back to knock out the experienced David Ferrer on Thursday.

Delbonis trailed eighth seed and 2014 runner-up Ferrer 1-5 in the first set, and saved two set points at 4-5, in a 7-5, 6-3 win over one hour and 45 minutes for a place in his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season (also Sao Paulo). It was his first win in four matches against Ferrer, who lifted his 27th tour-level trophy on Sunday at the SkiStar Swedish Open (d. Dolgopolov).

“I have very good memories of the club in Hamburg,” said Delbonis. “It’s amazing to be back at a place to restore my confidence. I tried to keep battling at 1-5 in the first set, changing my game and slowing down the rallies. It was very fast at the beginning. I kept adopting the same tactic in the second set.” He will next meet third seed and #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov or Aljaz Bedene.

Another seed casualty was fifth seed Benoit Paire, who lost to Nicolas Kicker 6-4, 7-6(7). Paire could not convert one set point opportunity at 7/6 in the second set tie-break. Kicker awaits the winner of fourth seed and 2011 champion Gilles Simon or Philipp Kohlschreiber.

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Top seed Jack Sock and second seed John Isner are in opposite halves of the draw at the BB&T Atlanta Open, but the two friends found themselves up close during Isner’s press conference on Wednesday night.

Isner was ready to take a few questions after his win over Vasek Pospisil, but was surprised to find the first one came from a “reporter” with the the Kansas City Star. After answering a question from Sock about the recent change in his game plan, the top seed noted that “like at Shanghai doubles, you’re returning well.” (Sock and Isner teamed up this past October to take the title at the Shanghai Rolex Masters).

“I had a partner who was average in Shanghai last year,” joked Isner. “I had to carry him, so I had to put him on my back and play very well. That partner remains nameless.”

Sock plays his opening match against Dudi Sela on Thursday night and Isner will square off against Lukas Lacko in the quarter-finals on Friday.