Rinderknech Upsets Bautista Agut In Gstaad
Arthur Rinderknech’s impressive season continued on Wednesday at the Swiss Open Gstaad as he defeated World No. 16 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4 to claim his best-ever win.
The Frenchman, currently at a career-high No. 100 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, has now claimed a personal-best nine wins at tour-level this season. He had never won a match at this level before this year.
Rinderknech was impressive throughout, striking the ball powerfully from the baseline to dictate. He hit eight aces and won 79 per cent (30/38) of his first-service points against the second seed to advance in one hour and 34 minutes. It is his second Top 20 win of his career, having beaten then World No. 17 #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner in Lyon in May.
[WATCH LIVE 1]The 25-year-old will next face Laslo Djere in his fourth quarter-final of the season having enjoyed runs to the last eight in Bastad, Marseille, and Lyon this year.
His next opponent, seventh seed Djere, reached his sixth tour-level quarter-final of the season as he moved past qualifier Zizou Bergs 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in two hours and five minutes. The Serbian, who broke Bergs seven times at the ATP 250 event, has now recorded 16 clay-court wins this year. His best result was a run to the final at the Sardegna Open (l. to Sonego) in Cagliari.
Also in action, Hugo Gaston survived a scare to upset fifth seed Federico Delbonis 6-0, 6-7(2), 7-6(3) and advance to his first ATP Tour quarter-final. The Frenchman was pegged back from 5-2 in the second set, losing three straight games, before he rallied in the decider to claim victory in two hours and 20 minutes.
Gaston, currently No. 155 in the FexEx ATP Rankings, enjoyed a breakthrough run to the fourth round at Roland Garros (l. Thiem) last October. He has now claimed 16 clay-court wins at all levels this season, having reached ATP Challenger Tour finals at the Concord Iasi Open and the Roma Garden Open I.
He will next face fourth-seeded Chilean Cristian Garin after he eased past Marc Polmans 6-3, 6-0 in his opening match. The 25-year-old, who lifted the Chile Dove Men+Care Open title on home soil (d. Bagnis) in Santiago in March, won 86 per cent (19/22) of his first-service points to advance in 54 minutes.
”I am very happy and I like the conditions here,” Garin said. “I think it is very similar to Santiago, where I won this year. I feel I have a good feeling about playing in high altitudes so I am really happy.”