Mikhail Kukushkin is yet to drop a set in Memphis after defeating fifth-seeded American Denis Kudla 6-1, 7-5. The Kazakh went five-for-10 on break point opportunities in the 81-minute match.

“I started well, but from the middle of the second set, he started playing much better,” Kukushkin said. “There were lots of tough points for me. I needed to fight for every game. Maybe I was a little bit lucky to win, but I am happy to be through to the quarter-finals.

“I was hitting well and not making too many unforced errors. It helped me that [Kudla] started slowly. From the middle of the second set he started to play much better … a lot of long rallies, tough points for me.

“I had to fight a lot to win every game. Maybe the score looks very easy, especially the first set, but then second set was really tough.”

 The win sets up a potential showdown with three-time defending champion and top seed Kei Nishikori who was due to face Ryan Harrison in the night session. The Japanese world No. 7 holds a perfect 5-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Kukushkin.

“If I have to play him, for sure it’ll be a tough match,” Kukushkin said. “He’s a Top 10 player. I’ve played him a few times and lost all of them … I will just try to control everything I have and just enjoy the game.”

Nishikori’s countryman, qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka, earlier cruised into the quarter-finals after dismissing Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko 6-1, 6-3. The Japanese left-hander has played himself into peak form having won through qualifying.

“I’ve been playing a lot of qualifying matches, and my confidence is good right now,” Nishioka said. “Every time I play, I think I can get to the main draw.”

The Mie native is into his second ATP World Tour quarter-final (2015 Delray Beach) and is not at all intimidated by the prospect of facing the tournament’s top seed in the semi-finals.

“I’m very excited to be in my second ATP quarter-final,” Nishioka said. “And if I win one more match, maybe I will get to play against Kei [Nishikori].”

First, Nishioka will have to find a way past No. 4 seed Sam Querrey, who had a routine 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen. The American World No. 58 hit seven aces and won 83 per cent of first-serve points in the 52-minute encounter. 

Human highlight reel Dustin Brown is at it again.

The spectacular German showed off another part of his arsenal at the Bergamo Challenger in Italy on Wednesday. Seemingly in trouble after hitting a half-volley, Brown went behind-the-back for a clean winner off his opponent’s passing shot.

Confidence matters on the tennis court, and World No. 72 Nicolas Almagro is well on his way to recapturing it at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

The Spaniard, once ranked No.9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, continued his quest for a first ATP World Tour title in four years by advancing to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over home hope Federico Delbonis.

Almagro is coming off two injury-marred seasons after averaging over 45 wins per year between 2010 and 2013, but he is back in familiar territory in South America. The 2011 champion, who netted 16 of his 18 match wins on clay last season, improved to 27-9 in Buenos Aires. It took two hours and 13 minutes for Almagro to earn his third match win of the season, during which he held 14 break points (3/14).

In the quarter-finals, he will face either third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Argentine Leonardo Mayer.

Rising star Dominic Thiem was a point away from being upset by qualifier Gastao Elias before flipping the script and prevailing 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-3.

The Austrian made a slow start, dropping both break points faced in the opening set against an opponent who was playing in his first tour-level event of the year. The fifth-seeded Thiem got up to speed in the second set, but Elias held strong, turning aside five break points and holding a match point at 7/6 in the tie-break. It was then that the youngest player in the Top 20 showed his quality, reeling off the next three points to even the match and eventually winning in two hours and nine minutes.

Thiem, who captured all three of his ATP World Tour titles on clay, will face Dusan Lajovic, after the Serb saved a match point in the tiebreak to upset American No. 4 seed John Isner. Lajovic had lost the only prior FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter between the two but emerged a narrow 7-6(10), 4-6, 7-6(6) victor on Wednesday. The 25-year-old World No. 79 did not have a break point throughout the two-hour, 20-minute clash but managed to save five of the six break points he faced.

ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Gael Monfils launched the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in style with a daring stunt in Rotterdam. The Frenchman took to the roof of a hotel to fire balls across the street to suspended stunt “ball kids”, who were dangling in front of a vertical tennis court. 

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“It was different, it was fun,” said Monfils. “It was cool that we tried something new. But they didn’t catch the ball, so I’m pretty disappointed! With the wind, it was tough for me to be precise, but I think it’s tough for them to catch it. But it was cool. It was a good try.”

Defending doubles champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau played with Richard Krajicek and Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer on a special court in front of Rotterdam’s Central Station.

David Goffin and Viktor Troicki met fans and signed autographs.

Argentina Open – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was a busy man in Buenos Aires.

The Frenchman visited a traditional Argentine Asador to learn how to make two very well-known and popular sandwiches, the choripan and the bondiola. View Photo

“I like Argentinian meat, it’s one of the best in the world,” said Tsonga after the experience. “I’m used to cooking at home and I have a big barbeque at home.”

Tsonga and Juan Monaco visited Buenos Aires Playa to play some mini tennis with fans. View Photo

Tsonga also joined Dominic Thiem for a practice tie-break with some highly-trained ball dogs. View Photo

Leonardo Mayer, Fabio Fognini, Guido Pella and Dusan Lajovic were on hand for kids’ day as they played some points with children in wheelchairs and hit balls into the stands. View Photo

Santiago Giraldo and Nicolas Almagro did on-stage interviews and signed autographs for fans.

Memphis Open – Memphis, Tennessee

The Bryan Brothers, Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey took to the basketball court during Monday night’s Memphis Grizzlies game at FedExForum for a shootout. View Photo

Taylor Fritz (18), Tommy Paul (18), Frances Tiafoe (18), Michael Mmoh (18) and Jared Donaldson (19) posed together in front of the Racquet Club’s Memphis Open 40^th anniversary tournament sign to mark a record five American teens in the main draw of the tournament. Read More

Benjamin Becker (view photo) and Malek Jaziri (view photo) attended the Memphis Grizzlies game Saturday night, meeting up with Dirk Nowitzki and Salah Mejri of the Dallas Mavericks.

Steve Johnson, Dudi Sela and Scott Lipsky took time away from the Memphis Open to visit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, meeting fans and signing autographs. View Photo

Sam Querrey, Max Mirnyi and Max’s brother Peter visit FedEx headquarter in Memphis to try out the flight simulator. View Photo

Roberto Bautista Agut kept up his strong early season form in Rotterdam on Wednesday as he reached the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with a 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 victory over Joao Sousa.

The Spaniard has a 13-2 mark in his best start to an ATP World Tour campaign, with two titles already in Auckland (d. Sock) and last week in Sofia (d. Troicki). He goes on to face Jiri Vesely for a quarter-final spot.

Philipp Kohlschreiber was the first player through to the quarter-finals as he defeated qualifier Ivan Dodig 6-4, 6-2 in 70 minutes. The German also reached the quarter-finals last week in Sofia (l. to Troicki) and goes on to challenge second seed Marin Cilic.

Cilic, the 2014 finalist, held his nerve to beat fellow big-server Gilles Muller 7-6(2), 7-6(7). There were no breaks of serve in the two-hour encounter.

“I was expecting a close match,” said Cilic. “Luckily I was serving well today and I was mentally focused. I was close to breaking a few times in the second set and put pressure on his serve. Gilles is a very difficult player to play against indoors and I’m happy to be through.”

Eighth seed Viktor Troicki celebrated his 30th birthday by striking 14 aces in a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov in two hours and six minutes. He now plays teenager Hyeon Chung.

Elsewhere, Jeremy Chardy battled his way past lucky loser Evgeny Donskoy, a replacement for Richard Gasquet, by saving one match point at 7/8 in the third set tie-break to win 6-7(9), 6-4, 7-6(8) over two hours and 23 minutes. He’ll next meet fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, a qualifier.