Aslan Karatsev hasn't dropped a set yet on the 2023 ATP Tour, but on Wednesday at the Tata Open Maharashtra, he had to hold off three set points to keep his pristine record intact. The eighth seed defeated Tim van Rijthoven in two sets, 7-6(7), 7-6(8), and moved on to the ATP 250 quarterfinals after fending off two break points in set two.
Midway through set two, Karatsev earned his sixth break point of the game, breaking serve for the first time. However, as van Rijthoven had his first opportunities on returns, Karatsev dropped serve from a 40/0 lead. At 5-4, Karatsev had his seventh and eighth break points of the match, but failed to convert both of them.
The 29-year-old’s next opponent is Pedro Martinez of Spain, who defeated fourth-seeded Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 after coming from behind. Wednesday's surprise winner was France's Benjamin Bonzi, who defeated third-seeded Emil Ruusuvuori, a previous finalist, 6-1, 7-6. (4).