Romanian tennis player Filip Cristian Jianu on Wednesday progressed to the men's singles quarterfinals of the Sarasota Open challenger tournament in Florida, the U.S., prize money USD 100,000, after a three-set win over Estonian Mark Lajal, 6-3 6-7 (6/8) 6-3.
It took Jianu, 23, world number 233, almost three hours of play (2 h 56 min) to prevail.
The Romanian won his first meet with Lajal, 21, world number 200, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7/5), in the first round of the 2023 Oeiras Open.
Jianu, the highest ranked Romanian in the ATP rankings, won USD 2,890 and 12 ATP singles points.
In the quarterfinals, Jianu will meet second seed, Argentina's Federico Agustin Gomez, 28, world number 140. The two are tied in the head-to-head count, 1-1, with Jianu winning in Lyon in 2024 after Gomez retired at 6-4 2-1, and the South American taking revenge in 2024, in the final of the challenger tournament in Milan, 6-3 6-4.
Compatriot qualifier Gabi Adrian Boitan, 25, world number 370 ATP, will play on Thursday, in the round of 16, against American Emiliano Nava, the fifth seed.
