French Open: Tsitsipas edges past Arnaldi to reach quarter-finals
Italian qualifier takes a set off ninth seed
Arnaldi's challenge ends with three breaks in fourth set
Stefanos Tsitsipas came from behind to defeat Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi 3-6 7-6 4 6-2 6 in the third round of the French Open on Friday, reaching the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the second time.
The ninth-seeded Greek, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2021, will face either World No. 6 Andrey Rublev or Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato in the last 16.
Arnaldi, ranked 44th in the world, was the first to take the court in the third round after his second-round opponent, Italy's 27th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti, withdrew due to a shoulder injury.
The Italian started brightly, taking the first set 6-3, but Tsitsipas broke back in the second set to force a tiebreak that he won 7-4.
Arnaldi began to struggle in the third set, with Tsitsipas breaking once more, and two further breaks in the fourth set put an end to the Italian's challenge.
Tsitsipas, who won the Monte-Carlo Masters in April, will be confident of making a deep run in the French Open, where he has never reached the quarter-finals.
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