The week of his life: Tirante topples Mensik to reach a first Masters quarter-final

Thiago Agustin Tirante is living a dream in Cincinnati, and it shows no sign of ending. The 25-year-old Argentine, ranked No 50, dug his way past No 14 seed Jakub Mensik 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday evening to reach the first Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career – the latest chapter in a fortnight that has turned a journeyman’s summer into a breakthrough.

It did not start smoothly. Tirante let the opening set slip, broken as he served at 5-6. From there the Argentine settled, tightened his own service games and pounced whenever the chance came, breaking once in each of the next two sets to steal the momentum and never give it back. Two hours of gritty, front-foot tennis later, he had his win.

Remarkable as the result is, it was not even the biggest of his week. In the previous round Tirante had stunned No 3 seed Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, Spain’s Martin Landaluce (7-6(5), 7-6(4)) and, in a three-tiebreak marathon, England’s Jan Choinski (7-6(9), 6-7(7), 7-6(4)).

For Tirante, it is an eighth top-20 win of a season that keeps redefining his ceiling. Now comes another daunting hurdle, and another chance to show up: he will play the winner of the meeting between France’s Arthur Fils, the No 21 seed, and Australian No 5 seed Alex de Minaur, with a place in the last four on the line.

incinnati Masters 1000, round of 16

• A. Zverev (1) vs T. Paul (18)
• F. Cobolli (7) d. R. Jodar (12): 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
• T. Tirante d. Mensik (14): 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
• A. Fils (21) vs A. de Minaur (5) 
• T. Fritz (6) vs C. O’Connell
• N. Borges vs B. Nakashima (27)
• J. Faria vs L. Musetti (10)
• F. Tiafoe (17) vs F. Auger-Aliassime (2)