New Zealand Davis Cup player James Greenhalgh advanced to the quarter-finals of the $US25,000 ($51,953) Challenger tennis tournament in Hamilton yesterday.
Greenhalgh, who gained a wildcard to enter the tournament, qualified for the last eight with a tough second-round win over Australian Peter Clarke 6-7 6-3 6-2.
The New Zealander scored the vital break of serve in the eighth game of the second set to go up 5-3 before serving for the set.The third set was easier as Greenhalgh capitalised on Clarke's inconsistency.
It is the first time Greenhalgh has made a quarter-finals of a Challenger or ATP Tour singles event.
Today he will play tournament top seed Goichi Motomura, of Japan, who has lost just six games in his two matches so far, today.
Motomura crushed Australian Jordan Kerr 6-2 6-0 in the second round in just under one hour.
Third seed Barry Cowan, of Britain, continued his steady progress with a 7-6 6-3 win over Australia's Joseph Sirianni.
Cowan will play fifth seed Michael Hill, of Australia, in the quarter-finals.
Michael Joyce, of the United States, finished off his rain-interrupted match against Australia's Lee Pearson 6-2 6-0 to book a match against Britain's Justin Layne in the quarter-finals.
Yesterday's other match was a slugfest between two qualifiers in which Sweden's Mathias Hellstrom rallied to overcome Australia's Jaymon Crabb 3-6 6-3 6-2.
New Zealander Lee Radovanovich qualified for the doubles quarter-finals with Clarke by beating Aucklanders Derek Burden and Adam McNeil in straight sets.
Tennis: Kiwi fights back to reach quarters
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