"I was playing with positive vibes and energy" - Tsitsipas remains focused with victory over Cuevas in Hamburg

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas accounted for himself at the Hamburg European Open on Wednesday, as he booked his spot in his first quarterfinal at the ATP 500 clay-court event.

The World No.6 faced clay-court specialist Pablo Cuevas, prevailing after a hard-fought 7-5 6-4 victory.

“I have a lot of respect for him. He is a very difficult opponent to face, particularly on this surface,” Tsitsipas said post-match. “He is a good friend and one of my idols growing up. It was a great match and I enjoyed it. There was a certain point in the match when I forgot I needed to win, as I was enjoying the game and the atmosphere, the crowd. I was playing with positive vibes and energy.”

The Greek star will face Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinal, as the Serbian upset eighth seed Karen Khachanov 6-1 6-2 in just over an hour earlier in the day.

“It will be another match against a single backhander,” Tsitsipas on his upcoming opponent. “He is a very good player on clay. I played him in the past and I need to stay focused every single point. He plays a very tactical, smart game and I have to overcome a lot of challenges tomorrow.”