De Minaur Advances as Erste Bank Open Heats Up

Alex de Minaur progresses to the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open after Flavio Cobolli retires due to a shoulder injury. De Minaur leads against competitors for the ATP Finals spot and is set to face Jakub Mensik. Other matches include Khachanov, Draper, and Zverev advancing.

In a dramatic turn of events at the Erste Bank Open, Alex de Minaur secured his spot in the quarterfinals after Flavio Cobolli retired with a shoulder injury. The Australian was leading 7-6 (2), 3-1 when the match ended prematurely.

De Minaur, currently the second seed, is chasing an ATP Finals spot, trailing close behind Andrey Rublev for the last position. His next match is against the promising 19-year-old Jakub Mensik for a berth in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Karen Khachanov's impressive run continues as he won his sixth consecutive match, overcoming Brandon Nakashima 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Jack Draper ousted Luciano Darderi, setting up a duel with Tomas Machac, who triumphed over third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. Top-seeded Alexander Zverev is set to battle Lorenzo Musetti in another exciting quarterfinal matchup.

(With inputs from agencies.)