Tomic reaches first ATP quarterfinal in seven years as Eala powers into DC Open last eight

Tomic reaches first ATP quarterfinal in seven years

Bernard Tomic continued his career resurgence by reaching the quarterfinals of an ATP event for the first time in seven years, defeating fourth-seeded Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-4 at the tournament in Los Cabos, Mexico, on Wednesday local time. The 33-year-old Australian, currently ranked 171st, had earlier needed just 46 minutes to dispatch Alex Hernandez 6-1, 6-0 in the first round. Tomic entered the main draw as a qualifying lucky loser and could climb to as high as No. 132 with a fifth career ATP title. He will face either British fifth seed Cam Norrie or fellow Australian James Duckworth in the quarterfinals, his first ATP last-eight since losing to Alex de Minaur in Atlanta in 2019. After suggesting earlier this year that he was considering retirement, Tomic hinted at a longer horizon after the win, telling reporters he may need to "reassess a few things now."

De Minaur sets up clash with rising compatriot Hewitt

World No. 6 Alex de Minaur downed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the last 16 in Washington DC, earning only his second win over the Greek in 14 meetings. The top seed and defending champion will next face 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, the son of Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and a Wimbledon boys' finalist from earlier this month. Hewitt, who trains under de Minaur as a mentee, called a potential meeting "a dream" after winning his first ATP match. "I've known him basically my whole life," Hewitt said. "He's stayed with us and we have Christmas together, also. He's taught me so much. I think that would be a pretty cool memory for us."

Eala extends redemption run at Mubadala DC Open

Alex Eala reached the Mubadala DC Open quarterfinals by defeating defending champion Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-6(1) at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, a WTA 500 event. The 21-year-old Filipino erased a 1-5 deficit in the second set before dominating the tiebreak 7-1. The result avenged a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Fernandez at Stuttgart in April and followed Eala's earlier comeback from a set and a break down to upset Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, squaring her head-to-head with the Chinese player after a 2023 Asian Games defeat. Eala, ranked WTA No. 28, improved to 32-18 this season and described patience as decisive against Fernandez. The match was reported as Eala's first WTA win over a fellow left-hander.

Quarterfinal matchups and what's next

Tomic's quarterfinal in Los Cabos is his first ATP last-eight since 2019. In Washington, Eala's quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of the second-seeded Elina Svitolina versus Polina Kudermetova Round of 16 match, with a potential rematch of Eala's Berlin Open win over Svitolina in June or a chance to erase back-to-back 2024 ITF semifinal losses to Kudermetova in India and Dubai. Eala is scheduled to have a day off before returning on Saturday for the quarterfinal. De Minaur's last-16 meeting with Cruz Hewitt will be the pair's first career encounter. Both Washington events lead into the US Open, scheduled for Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 at Flushing Meadows, New York.