"It was exhausting but it paid off" - Tsitsipas on marathon victory over Hurkacz

Stefanos Tsitsipas kept his quest of winning his first ATP 500 title alive on Thursday, as the Greek star overcame a stern challenge from Hubert Hurkacz to advance to the ABN AMRO WTT Rotterdam quarterfinals.

“I played really well. Both of us, we played a high level of tennis and didn’t give away many break-point opportunities," Tsitsipas said after the match. "There were pretty good serves from both sides and I am really glad that I fought so hard towards the very end. It was exhausting, but it paid off.”

The World No.6 rallied after a shaky second set to defeat Hurkacz 6-4 4-6 7-5, advancing after a two-hour slugfest. This victory saw Tsitsipas improve to 6-1 against his Polish opponent, with their last five matches going to a deciding set.

“Hubert is a very tough competitor. We have played loads in the past,” said Tsitsipas. “Every single time I go out on the court, I know what to expect. He is a fighter and he doesn’t like to give up, so it always makes him a very difficult opponent.”

Tsitsipas will face Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals, as the Russian booked his quarterfinal ticket with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Brit Cameron Norrie. However, Khachanov has never defeated Tsitsipas on the ATP Tour, trailing 0-2 in their head-to-head meetings.

Click here for live scores and results from Rotterdam.