Arthur Rinderknech beat Laslo Djere 4:6, 7:6, 6:1 in the round of 16 at the Gonet Geneva Open on Tuesday, recovering from a slow start on clay to reach the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 event.
Djere, a player who traditionally feels comfortable on clay, took the first set 6:4 at the Tennis Club de Genève, but Rinderknech steadied himself in the second and won the tie-break 7:4 before closing out the match with a 6:1 third set.
The win matters because it put the tournament’s fifth seed into the last eight at an event that runs from May 17 to 23, where every match on the surface can quickly turn into a test of patience and serve. Rinderknech tried to shorten the points early and lean on his serve, and that approach looked vulnerable when Djere took control of the opening set.
The second-set tie-break was the match’s crucial turning point. Rinderknech found a way through it, and from there the momentum shifted decisively. Djere’s comfort on clay kept him in the contest longer than a straight-sets score might suggest, but once the Frenchman got ahead, the final set slipped away from the Serb quickly.
Rinderknech now moves on with a quarterfinal place secured at the Geneva tournament, where the draw still includes Alexander Bublik, whose path against Edas Butvilas is also part of the day’s action in Geneva. The result leaves Rinderknech with a live chance to keep building on a tournament in which his serve and composure after a poor opening set have already carried him through one of the tighter early tests.
