Tien, Tiafoe march into Houston quarterfinal
Houston, April 3
Learner Tien advanced to his maiden ATP Tour clay-court quarter-final at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship when he downed Nishesh Basavareddy 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Tien created 15 break chances, converting three, according to ATP Stats, to improve to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head-to-Head series with Basavareddy.
"My level dipped a bit in the second set, but I was happy to start the clay swing with a tough win over Nishesh," Tien said. "We've played so many times over the years. I'm trying to use my drop shot more on clay, and I thought it was effective today. I think the surface can really help my forehand too. I'm just trying to improve and learn how to use the clay more effectively."
Meanwhile, Second seed Frances Roadies began his Houston campaign with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory against Australian Rinky Hijikata.
The 28‑year‑old American, playing his first clay-court tournament since reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals last season, advanced to his fifth consecutive US Clay quarter-final. With the victory, Tiafoe now sits just two wins away from his fourth straight Houston final.
Moreover, for the first time in 45 years, three Argentine players advanced to the US Clay quarterfinals: No. 6 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Thiago Agustin Tirante, and Roman Andres Burruchaga. The last time the feat was accomplished came in 1981, when Ricardo Cano, Jose Luis Clerc, and Guillermo Vilas all reached the quarters.
After Etcheverry and Tirante sealed their quarterfinal spots on Thursday, Burruchaga followed their lead on Friday with the biggest upset of the tournament. The Argentine eliminated No. 5 seed Brandon Nakashima, last year's semifinalist, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the opening singles match on Stadium Court.
The win marked Burruchaga's first career Top‑40 victory and just the second ATP quarterfinal appearance of his career.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The Argentine dominance is the real story here! 45 years is a long time. Their clay-court tradition is just amazing. Burruchaga's upset was fantastic!
Tiafoe is always fun to watch. His energy is infectious. Hope he goes all the way in Houston. On a side note, wish we had an ATP tournament in India on clay! Our players need that exposure.
Respectfully, the article could have given a bit more context on Nishesh Basavareddy's background for international readers. He's a promising player too. But congrats to Tien on the win!
Clay court tennis is a different beast. You need patience and strategy, not just power. Interesting to see players adapting. The quarterfinals look exciting!
15 break points is a lot of pressure! Tien managed it well in the end. Good learning experience for him. The road to the top 50 is long, but wins like this build confidence. 💪
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