Del Potro into China Open last-eight as Dimitrov exits

BEIJING: Favourite Juan Martin del Potro avoided the fate of third seed Grigor Dimitrov to surge into the quarter-finals of the China Open on Tuesday.

The towering Argentine top seed, enjoying one of the best seasons of his injury-blighted career, dismissed Russia’s stubborn Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

The victory means that Del Potro has qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals event for the first time since 2013.

The world number four faces Filip Krajinovic of Serbia in the last eight on Beijing’s outside hard courts.

Bulgaria’s Dimitrov was on the end of a major shock, totting up nine double faults in a three-set defeat to Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic.

Lajovic meets Britain’s fifth seed Kyle Edmund in the quarter-finals. The 30-year-old Del Potro was imperious from the off, breaking the unseeded Khachanov in the first game of the match and then winning his own service game to love.

Del Potro, losing finalist at the US Open last month, finished off the first set with an ace to underline his superiority.

Khachanov, ranked 24th in the world, forced the second-set tie break with a break of Del Potro’s serve but was always playing catch-up after going 3-1 down.

Del Potro sealed the match with his 11th ace.

Javier Mascherano, the Argentine international footballer formerly of Barcelona and now playing in China, was in the crowd to see his countryman and friend.

In the women’s draw, number two seed Caroline Wozniacki rounded off a polished display with an ace in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Petra Martic of Croatia. The Dane faces Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the last 16.

Seventh seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic set up a meeting against China’s top player Wang Qiang.

In Tokyo, Local hero Kei Nishikori put down a marker in his quest for a third Japan Open title as he outgunned France’s Benoit Paire on Wednesday to reach the last eight.

The third seed, who lifted the trophy in 2012 and 2014, completed a 6-3, 7-5 victory despite late resistance from Paire to avenge a semi-final defeat inflicted by the hulking Frenchman in Tokyo three years ago.

Meanwhile, former champion Nick Kyrgios flickered into life for just long enough to dispatch Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in the first round.

Nishikori tore out of the blocks, winning the first five games before Paire finally got on the scoreboard.

Paire tugged at his beard in despair after Nishikori snaffled the opening set but raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set before the Japanese number one rattled off five straight games.

An increasingly prickly Paire pulled off an outrageous between-the-legs volley and subsequently levelled with a backhand rocket, letting out a guttural roar as Nishikori shook his head in disbelief.

But the world No 12 almost took Paire’s head off to break again for 6-5, further irritating the Frenchman, who flirted with a penalty point after kicking his racquet into his chair.