IT WAS an upset very few could have predicted, but Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci knocked out second seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev from the ATP Rotterdam Open overnight. Having opportunities to do it in straight sets, the Italian eventually won 6-3 6-7 6-3 to book his spot in the quarter finals of the ATP 500 event.

Bellucci had Medvedev on the back foot early after winning the last three games of the first set to stun the Russian and secure the set. When the Russian returned serve in the second set by racing to a 4-1 lead, the match seemed on the verge of going to a decider.

However the Italian had other ideas, instead breaking his opponent and quickly tying up proceedings. Then, once into a tiebreaker, Bellucci lead 5-2 and had a match point at 6-5, only for Medvedev to save that and then win three consecutive points to take out the set 8-6.

After only hitting 12 unforced errors in the first set, the Italian had got a little sloppy in the second, keeping the door ajar for the second seed with 27. Medvedev was also uncharacteristically wild, hitting 26 unforced errors to 14 winners, having only done 12 and nine respectively in the first set.

Incredibly the stats suggested the deciding set was controlled by Medvedev when the Russian created six break point opportunities and won a superior 67 per cent of his first serve points. The only problem was he could not secure any of those half a dozen chances, with Bellucci instead breaking with his only shot in the penultimate game.

Frustrated by missed opportunities, Medvedev looked a frustrated man, and Bellucci served out the match to love in the ninth game of the third set to win, 6-3 6-7 6-3 in two hours and 55 minutes. Both players were a little wayward with Bellucci hitting 35 winners to 55 unforced errors, and Medvedev recording 30 and 51 respectively.

“I really tried to enjoy every minute of it,” Bellucci said post-match. “I tried to have fun on court and be myself as much as possible. I hit the serve and volley a bit and hit the underarm serve. I wanted to be myself and I saw him far back. I really think it is something I used to move him a little bit from there. I don’t want to be disrespectful.

“I felt that I had to enjoy every moment of this match. This is a big result so I will enjoy it.”

The biggest missed opportunity for the Russian was with his break point chances, capitalising on just one of 12 from the match, while Bellucci converted three of eight. The win meant Bellucci will advance to the quarter finals where he will take on the winner of sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or local Dutch hope, Tallon Griekspoor.

Bellucci was not The only Italian qualifier picking up a victory with Andrea Vavassori winning via opponent retirement as Felix Auger-Aliassime pulled out when it was one set apiece. Other winners on the day were Griekspoor – who defeated the other Italian in action in Matteo Berrettini – as well as eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz and Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.

2025 ROTTERDAM OPEN ATP 500 – ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[Q] Mattia Bellucci (ITA) defeated [2] Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6-3 6-7 6-3
[8] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) defeated Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 7-5 2-0 RET

2025 ROTTERDAM OPEN ATP 500 – ROUND OF 32 RESULTS:

[Q] Andrea Vavassori (ITA) defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 6-7 6-4 RET
Fabian Marozsan (HUN) defeated Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 6-3 4-6 7-6
Tallon Griekspoor (NED) defeated Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-3 6-7 7-6