Tirante upsets Rublev in Bastad: 'best week of my life'; Ruud falls

It was an upset-filled Wednesday at the Nordea Open, bookended with the top two seeds falling.

Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante earned his biggest career win in the last match of the day, stunning World No. 8 and defending champion Andrey Rublev 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4. Thiago Monteiro opened the day by ousting second seed and 2021 titlist Casper Ruud.

The 23-year-old Tirante, No. 121 in the PIF ATP Rankings, responded to Rublev’s firepower with heavy hitting of his own to claim his first Top 20 win and reach his maiden tour-level quarter-final. 

"I think I played a great match," Tirante said. "This is the first match I've played with so many people, so I was very nervous. It was my first meeting against a Top 10 [player].

"I'm very happy to play my best tennis here. I didn't have good weeks before and this is the best of my life, so I will remember Sweden forever."

Tirante is enjoying his career-best season, having first cracked the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings in March and winning the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Mexico City a month later. Tirante's two-hour, 23-minute win against Rublev was his sixth tour-level victory and fourth this year. He will face Roberto Carballes Baena in the last eight. The Spaniard earlier rallied past Denis Yevseyev 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Monteiro, 30, defeated Ruud 6-3, 6-3 to capture his first win against the Norwegian in four Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. The Brazilian faces qualifier Duje Ajdukovic in the quarter-finals following the Croatian's 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3 victory against eighth seed Pavel Kotov.

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