Marin Cilic had to come from behind to defeat Dominic Thiem as he sealed a spot in the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Open.

Cilic, who was also celebrating his 34th birthday, was given a thorough test initially by the wild card, but Thiem ultimately faded away.

After losing the first set, second seed Cilic eventually won 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-4 as he succeeded in putting the Austrian's serve under intense pressure, setting up a quarter-final with either fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp or Liam Broady.

Reacting to the victory, Cilic said: "I think it was a fantastic match. I think it was an amazing, amazing level.

"We don't get so many chances to play [a] second-round [match] in front of this big [of a] crowd, so thank you so much. It was a fantastic birthday."

Maxime Cressy, seeded fourth, was far more comfortable as he defeated fellow American Sebastian Korda 6-4 6-4 thanks to a break of serve in either set.

The only other seed in action was seventh favourite Adrian Mannarino. The Frenchman came unstuck against his countryman Constant Lestienne, who won 7-6 (7-2) 6-4.

At the Sofia Open, two high seeds were surprisingly dumped out on Wednesday.

Home favourite Grigor Dimitrov, seeded third, was beaten in straight sets by Ilya Ivashka, who showed commendable focus to see out a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) win despite the crowd's support of his opponent.

Number six seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was the other big name to suffer a shock defeat, with 38-year-old Fernando Verdasco beating him 7-6 (7-1) 7-5 as the seven-time ATP Tour title winner rolled back the years.

Lorenzo Musetti bucked the trend, however. Seeded fourth, the Italian was made to sweat by Bulgaria's Alexander Lazarov as the first two sets went to tie-breaks, but the Italian had too much in the end as he won 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (10-8) 6-2.

Earlier in the day, Musetti's compatriot Lorenzo Sonego comfortably dealt with Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3 6-4.

Top overall seed at the Winston Salem Open, Grigor Dimitrov, won the first set of his opening match against Dominic Thiem 6-0 before being forced to retire due to illness symptoms while trailing 4-2 in the second.

The first set was total domination from the Bulgarian, winning 80 per cent (12-of-15) of the points against Thiem's serve as he breezed through the opening frame in 25 minutes, but after experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath in the second set, he decided to pull the plug on his match after a visit from the doctor.

Thiem will play England's Jack Draper in the next round after he was too strong down the stretch for Italy's Fabio Fognini, winning 6-2 4-6 6-1.

Meanwhile, it was relatively smoother sailing for second second Botic van de Zandschulp in his all-Dutch matchup against Tallon Griekspoor, converting both of his two break point opportunities to win 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Earlier in the day, in-form Belarusian and 11th seed Ilya Ivashka used his powerful serve to overwhelm Germany's Peter Gojowczyk 6-4 6-2. 

Ivashka will meet Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler next after the world number 102 passed a stiff test against Sweden's Mikael Ymer, with his 6-4 6-4 win likely elevating him into the top-100 when the next rankings are released.

Richard Gasquet at 36 years young upset 20-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-1, and he will play Steve Johnson next after the big American defeated Spain's Pedro Martinez 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.

Serbia's Laslo Djere needed almost three hours to get the better of Portugal's Joao Sousa 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5), and Djere will play Australia's Jason Kubler after he handled South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo 7-5 6-2.

The other two Aussies in action were less successful, as John Millman fell 6-4 6-4 to Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and James Duckworth went down 6-3 6-3 against Maxime Cressy.

Finland's rising star Emil Ruusuvuori was disappointing in his 6-4 6-1 loss to France's Adrian Mannarino, and fellow Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi also got the job done against England's Kyle Edmund 6-4 7-6 (7-5).

In the late session, 15th seed Jaume Munar defeated Tseng Chun-hsin 6-3 6-4, and in the last match of the night, Lorenzo Sonego beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-5 6-1.

Dominic Thiem defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a showdown with top seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Thiem showed signs of returning to his best with runs to the last eight or better in three tournaments in July, but the 2020 US Open winner was in danger of falling at the first hurdle in North Carolina when he lost the first set against the American wildcard.

But Thiem, a debutant in the competition, bounced back, and after a long rain delay he prevailed 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 7-6 (8-6), and he will now face Dimitrov, who is seeking a first trophy since 2017.

The Austrian had to save two match points during a last-set tie-break, and said afterwards: "First of all I'm super happy to get that win, [my] first win on hard courts since a very long time, since March 2021, I guess.

"It was not easy at all today with the rain delay, coming back out there at 11:15 p.m. It was very late. I had trouble [getting] into the match again.

"But luckily I raised the level a little bit in the third-set tie-break and compared to Kitzbuhel, where similar stuff happened with the rain, the luck was on my side today."

Second seed Botic van de Zandschulp also learned of his last-32 opponent on Monday, with Tallon Griekspoor beating fellow lucky loser Taro Daniel 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Last year's beaten finalist Mikael Ymer ensured a safe passage through, meanwhile, thanks to a 6-2 6-3 victory against Federico Coria.

Australia's James Duckworth also advanced with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 (7-5) comeback win over compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Kyle Edmund saw off Michail Pervolarakis 6-2 7-5.

Sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was a big-name exit, as he went down to Thiago Monteiro.

A spirited fightback from Nick Kyrgios saw the Australian beat second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Halle Open on Wednesday.

Kyrgios suffered a disappointing semi-final defeat to Andy Murray in Stuttgart last week, but looked greatly improved against Tsitsipas as he recovered from a set down to win 5-7 6-2 6-4.

It was the second serve of both men where Kyrgios shone, winning 76 per cent (28 of 37) of points on his second serve, and 58 per cent (23 of 40) on his opponent's.

"Stef is one of the best players in the world at the moment and he's going to have some amazing results and I'm sure many, many grand slams," Kyrgios said following his win.

"I don't know if I can say the same for me, but I'm happy to still be able to produce this level with the tournaments I play. It is a testament to how hard I do work when I'm not playing."

He will face Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals after the Spanish sixth seed beat Sebastian Korda 6-4 0-6 6-3.

Elsewhere, Hubert Hurkacz will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last eight after defeating Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, while the Canadian also won in straight sets against Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (9-7) 6-1.

The one remaining first round match saw number one seed Daniil Medvedev beat David Goffin 6-3 6-2 to set up a second round clash with Ilya Ivashka.

At the Queen's Club Championships, sixth seed Denis Shapovalov was eliminated by Tommy Paul 6-4 2-6 6-4, with the American now scheduled to face Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round.

It means that six of the eight seeds in west London were knocked out in the first round, with Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic the only remaining seeds. The latter sealed his place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday with a 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 win over Alexander Bublik.

Cilic will play Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori in the last eight after he beat home favourite Jack Draper 6-2 7-6 (7-2).

The best contest of the day came between Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Alex de Minaur, with the former coming from behind to win 4-6 6-4 7-5 to set up a quarter-final with Botic van de Zandschulp, who beat Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Andrey Rublev was a surprise first-round loser at the Halle Open, while numerous seeds fell on the first day of the Queen's Club Championships.

Rublev came unstuck against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, succumbing to a 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 loss as the world number eight crashed out in Germany.

Laslo Djere progressed after Henri Squire retired when 4-3 down, while sixth seed Pablo Carreno Busta secured a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) over French Open quarter-finalist Holger Rune.

Ugo Humber got the better of a topsy-turvy affair against qualifier Radu Albot, eventually triumphing 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 and Mackenzie McDonald defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler in straight sets.

Fourth favourite Taylor Fritz went down 6-3 6-3 against British wildcard Jack Draper, his first career win against a top-20 ranked player.

Reilly Opelka, the eighth seed, crashed out in the first round to New Zealand's Alex de Minaur, who claimed a straightforward 6-4 6-4 win.

Grigor Dimitrov, who won the event in 2014, battled past third seed Cameron Norrie 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-4, while Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina eased past compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5 6-4.

Alexander Bublik was 6-3 up before Italian Lorenzo Musetti retired, while seventh seed Marin Cilic capped the day's play in London by beating home hope Liam Broady 6-1 4-6 7-5.

Andy Murray swept aside Dominic Thiem in impressive fashion to secure his first clay-court win in five years as the Scot advanced to the second round at the Madrid Open on Monday.

The three-time grand slam champion was largely in control against his Austrian opponent, hitting nine aces and saving all three break points against his serve, while Thiem could only save one of the three he faced as Murray won 6-3 6-4.

He will now play 14th seed Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian beat Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7-1) 6-3.

The winner of that contest will have a last-16 meeting against the victor of Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils after the latter eased into the round of 32 to set up a clash with the Serbian.

Monfils defeated wildcard Carlos Gimeno Valero 6-3 6-0 in less than an hour, while Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also advanced with a 7-5 6-3 win against Lloyd Harris.

Dusan Lajovic set up a second-round match against fifth seed Casper Ruud, who defeated Borna Coric 6-3 4-6 6-4, and ninth seed Cameron Norrie will go up against John Isner, the Briton having overcome Soonwoo Kwon 7-5 7-5.

An interesting tie awaits the much-talked about Carlos Alcaraz after Nikoloz Basilashvili beat Fabio Fognini 7-5 6-4, with the Georgian to face the number seven seeded teenager next.

Jannik Sinner, the 10th seed, scraped through a hard-fought encounter against American Tommy Paul 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, and will play Alex de Minaur next after the Australian beat Pedro Martinez 7-6 (7-2) 1-6 6-3.

Diego Schwartzman will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. The Argentine 13th seed beat Benoit Paire 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-1, while Dimitrov overcame Maxime Cressy 6-2 7-6 (7-4).

Stefanos Tsitsipas remains on course for a second consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title after recording a straight-sets semi-final win over Alexander Zverev.

The third seed, who defeated Andrey Rublev to clinch the title in Monaco last year, produced a scintillating performance to beat the world number three 6-4 6-2 in Saturday's last-four encounter.

Tsitsipas will face world number 46 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Sunday's final, and the Greek said he will need to perform at an even higher level to defeat the 22-year-old, whose incredible run continued with a three-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final four.

"It was good," Tstispas told Amazon Prime Video of his semi-final win. "I don't know whether the long match [his three-set quarter-final win over Diego Schwartzman on Friday] gave me some rhythm, but I was able to play good tennis today. I'm happy with the level I was able to execute, and I came up with some good ideas on the court.

"I'm looking forward to the next one, I have a difficult opponent tomorrow, so I need to be ready and to take the best out of this one and move on.

"It's going to take a little bit more [to beat Davidovich Fokina], he's in a good rhythm. I've played him before, and he's a difficult opponent, I'm going to be as ready as possible, he's definitely improved and I'm going to have to produce the best tennis I can."

Davidovich Fokina, who has made headlines by eliminating Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells Masters champion Taylor Fritz during a thrilling run in the municipality, beat Dimitrov 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 earlier on Saturday, reaching his first ATP Tour final.

The unseeded Spaniard needed two hours and 43 minutes to wrap up his semi-final contest, and revealed that a bathroom break allowed him to reset his mind and clinch a hard-fought victory after he failed to serve out the second set at 5-4 up.

"I am so happy to be in the final, it's a dream come true to try to have the title," he said after the win.

"When I was a kid, I was dreaming about this day and it's come true, I'm so happy.

"In the second set I had my chances, I was so tight. But I went to the bathroom [after the second set] and I said to myself 'I want this'. Now I am in the final, I will enjoy, I have all the power with me."

Reigning Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will have to overcome Alexander Zverev if he is to have the chance to defend his title.

Zverev, who is ranked third in the world - two places higher than Tsitsipas - fought back to defeat Jannik Sinner 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-5) in his quarter-final match, denying his opponent another top-five seed scalp following his prior win over Andrey Rublev.

"It means a lot, definitely, especially [with] how this year has been going so far for me," said Zverev after a gruelling three hours on court.

"I've lost long matches like that, so I’m happy I won this one."

Tsitsipas also orchestrated a superb turnaround against Diego Schwartzman, prevailing 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-4.

The Greek had looked set for a last-eight exit at four games down in the final set, only to stage a dramatic comeback to keep his hopes of a first title since last May's Lyon Open alive.

"There was a moment in the match where I felt what I was doing wasn't working," Tsitsipas said.

"He had a massive lead and momentum in what he was trying to do. I just tried to stay in the match as much as I could and that worked out very well.

"I wasn't expecting much at that point being a double break down, so I relaxed at that point."

Schwartzman meanwhile will rue his inability to put the tie to bed, having already reached two ATP finals this year.

Grigor Dimitrov and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will face off in the other semi-final.

Bulgarian Dimitrov beat off Hubert Hurkacz in another final-set tie-break, winning 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2).

Fokina, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the second round, turned over Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in another comeback result, triumphing 2-6 6-4 6-3.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev has been eliminated from the Miami Open in the second round in straight sets by wild card world number 102 Nick Kyrgios on Friday.

The enigmatic Australian triumphed 6-3 6-0 in 52 minutes to clinch a third round clash with Italian Fabio Fognini, who won in three sets against Japanese Taro Daniel.

The victory marks Kyrgios' third win over a top 10 opponent in the past two tournaments, having topped both Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner at Indian Wells earlier this month.

Rublev had won titles in Marseille and Dubai earlier this season but was not allowed to settle by Kyrgios who sent down 10-5 aces and had a first serve percentage of 80 per cent.

"I know that he's a player who relies on a bit of rhythm, so I just tried to keep the points short and sharp, just play aggressive," Kyrgios said after the match.

"I'm just happy with my performance, whether it's 7-6 in the third or something like this, I'm just happy to get through."

Second seed Alexander Zverev was made to work for victory against Croatian Borna Coric, winning 6-4 3-6 6-3 in two hours and one minute.

The win marks the 2018 Miami Open runner-up's first triumph at the event since that run to the final.

Sixth seed Ruud eased past Henri Laaksonen 6-1 6-2, while ninth seed Sinner defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 3-6 7-6 (10-8) in two hours and 40 minutes.

Several seeds were beaten included 13th seed Diego Schwartzman who went down 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 to Thanasi Kokkinakis. Seeds Lorenzo Sonego, Grigor Dimitrov, Reilly Opelka and John Isner also exited.

Gael Monfils defeated Oscar Otte 7-6 (11-9) 6-1, Pablo Carreno Busta won 6-3 6-2 over David Goffin and 10th seed Cameron Norrie won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 over Jack Draper.

Andrey Rublev made his fourth ATP Masters semi-final on Friday, dispatching Grigor Dimitrov in under 90 minutes at Indian Wells in a 7-5 6-2 win.

Dimitrov had only faced two break points for the tournament until this quarter-final, and Rublev capitalised when his opponent’s serve evaded him. Rublev was returning with particular focus, getting 85 per cent of points back across the court on Dimitrov's first serve alone.

Rublev broke in the fifth game of the first set on the back of two double faults, but Dimitrov secured one of his own with a trademark backhand pass. The 24-year-old Russian answered right back to regain breathing room and close out a tight first set.

Securing the break in the third game of the second, that consistent pressure on Dimitrov's serve again forced two double faults in the fifth game. From there at 4-1, Rublev saw the finish line.

The win was the seventh seed’s 13th in a row, adding Indian Wells to semi-final appearances at Miami, Monte Carlo and Cincinnati. A win in the final would equal a career-high 15 matches in a row undefeated.

"I think I played really well. In the beginning, it was more about who will be the first to dictate and play more aggressive, because both of us like to dictate with our forehand," Rublev said afterwards.

"The return [of serve] was one of the most important things. If you can bring as many returns as possible [into the court], and then here with these conditions, in some moments it's tough to serve."

In Friday's other quarter-final, Taylor Fritz did it tough against the unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-1.

While Kecmanovic was content playing defence and grinding from the baseline, Fritz was the more active and it was most apparent at 5-5 in the first set.

Down 0-30, Fritz stood and delivered from the middle of the baseline with a booming forehand, before securing a critical hold.

The difference in tactics showed in the eventual winner differential, with Fritz's 35 in comparison to Kecmanovic's 15. Despite Fritz's relatively low unforced error count, he still gifted Kecmanovic the second set, serving three consecutive double faults to surrender the break at 3-4.

He regrouped and reeled off the opening five games of the third set, setting up his semi-final with Rublev. The other semi-final will see Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz meet in an all-Spanish duel.

Rafael Nadal did it tough against Reilly Opelka on Wednesday, eventually winning his way through to the quarter-finals at the Indian Wells Masters.

Nadal displayed an abundance of tactical nous, nullifying the American’s big hitting and service game to emerge the 7-6(6-3) 7-6(7-5) winner.

Along with a 76 percent first-serve rate, Opelka hit more winners with 26 for the match, but the 35-year-old Spaniard was able to grind out points from the baseline with his trademark heavy topspin. As a result, Nadal’s winner/unforced error differential was +14 in comparison to Opelka’s +1.

"He is one of the toughest opponents on tour," Nadal said post-match. "It is very tough to control his weapons with his serve and forehand.

"I think I played my best match of the tournament so far today. I am very pleased with how I was able to win the match, with two difficult tie-breaks. This victory means a lot to me."

The highest ranked player left in the draw, Nadal will now face Nick Kyrgios, who progressed to the quarter-finals after Jannik Sinner withdrew with illness.

Matteo Berrettini made a shock exit, meanwhile, losing 6-3 6-7(5-7) 6-4 to unseeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

The Italian world number six was put under constant pressure, with Kecmanovic targeting his backhand and hovered the baseline to close the angles on serve.

The 22-year-old’s only other top 10 victory came against Alexander Zverev, also the world number six then, at Cincinnati in 2019. He will now face Taylor Fritz, who defeated Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-4 7-6(7-5).

Also on Wednesday, Grigor Dimitrov edged past John Isner 6-3 7-6(8-6). In his unique style, the Bulgarian 33rd seed came up with the shot of the day, flicking a forehand pass across the visibly stunned Isner.

He will face Andrey Rublev, who defeated Hurbert Hurkacz 7-6(7-5) 6-4. In Wednesday’s other results, Carlos Alcaraz Garfia comfortably defeated Gael Monfils 7-5 6-1, while Cameron Norrie accounted for Jenson Brooksby 6-2 6-4.

Matteo Berrettini survived a scare to eventually progress to the fourth round at the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday.

The Italian sixth seed had to fight from 2-5 down in the second set and saved three set points, before powering through to triumph 6-4 7-5 over Lloyd Harris.

"I got a little bit nervous," Berrettini said post-match. “I didn’t like how I handled the start of the second set. I let the anger get out a little bit, which helped. I found the right balance in order to break him in the important moment and then I had the momentum.”

The world number six found another level in reeling off five straight games, and will now face unseeded Miomir Kecmanovic, who accounted for Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(6-3) 7-5.

Taylor Fritz was also pushed by Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar, taking a third-set tiebreaker to progress to the fourth round.

The 20th-seeded was made to work for it in a match that lasted just under three hours, but Munar feel short in the clutch, with two unforced forehand errors in the closing tiebreak to give Fritz a three-point gap.

In Tuesday's last game, Andrey Rublev showed rare composure to progress past Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4. 

Neither got off to the best of starts, with Rublev and Tiafoe sharing service breaks in the opening four games of the first set. The characteristically volatile Rublev managed to regroup, though, and stayed calm even when Tiafoe got his home crowd on side. 

Despite a low 67 percent on first serve, Rublev won 83 percent of those points, while Tiafoe did himself no favours with an even lower 58 percent first-serve rate.

Last-year’s semi-finalist will face 29th-seeded Alex de Minaur, who defeated Tommy Paul 7-6(6-2) 6-4.

The Australian world no. 31 faced immediate difficulty on service, with only his second service game going to eight consecutive deuces, after five saved break points. He eventually saw the match through, after breaking for 4-3 in the second set.

Fellow seeds Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov both went through relatively unscathed, with respective wins over Steve Johnson and Alexander Bublik.

Dimitrov will face John Isner, who saw past Diego Schwartzman 7-5 6-3 in Tuesday’s other result.

Alexander Zverev saved two match points and battled back to salvage a dramatic victory over Jenson Brooksby at the Mexican Open in what was the latest finish in tennis history.

Second seed Zverev – the defending champion in Acapulco - wrapped up a dramatic win at 04:55 local time after his own lengthy contest had followed two other epic three-setters earlier on the schedule.

Zverev at one stage looked like he was on the way out but ultimately triumphed 3-6 7-6 (12-10) 6-2 to book a second-round tie against Peter Gojowczyk.

The German had beaten Brooksby in a match that also went to a decider when they clashed at Indian Wells in October and he was pushed to the limit again in a battle lasting 200 minutes.

Having dropped the first set, Zverev had to fend off three break points at 3-3 in the second and saved match points at 6-5 and 10-9 down as part of an epic tie-break that went in his favour. 

Zverev was then more comfortable as he broke twice in the decider to seal victory, his American opponent paying the price for converting just one of his seven break-point opportunities in a match that made history for its late finish.

The previous latest ATP finish time was Lleyton Hewitt's 2008 Australian Open clash with Marcos Baghdatis, which ended at 04:34 local time.

Elsewhere, Stefan Kozlov overcame cramps in the second set to outlast Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 6-3, with that match lasting three hours and 21 minutes.

John Isner sent down 29 aces and saved a match point as he trailed 5-2 in the third set, ultimately winning 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) over veteran Fernando Verdasco in another epic topping the three-hour mark that helped to push back the start time for Zverev and Brooksby.

Seventh seed Taylor Fritz got past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-3, while Dusan Lajovic knocked off Sebastian Korda 6-4 4-6 7-5 and eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta beat Oscar Otte in straight sets.

At the Chile Open in Santiago, eighth seed Facundo Bagnis won 6-3 6-0 over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the round of 32.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro got past local Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (11-9) 6-4, while qualifier Juan Ignacio Londero and wildcard Thiago Seyboth Wild also progressed.

Alexander Zverev saved a match point and battled back to salvage a dramatic victory over Jenson Brooksby at the Mexican Open in what was the latest finish in tennis history.

Second seed Zverev – the defending champion in Acapulco - wrapped up a dramatic win at 04:55 local time after his own lengthy contest had followed two other epic three-setters earlier on the schedule.

Zverev at one stage looked like he was on the way out but ultimately triumphed 3-6 7-6 (12-10) 6-2 to book a second-round tie against Peter Gojowczyk.

The German had beaten Brooksby in a match that also went to a decider when they clashed at Indian Wells in October and he was pushed to the limit again in a battle lasting 200 minutes.

Having dropped the first set, Zverev had to fend off three break points at 3-3 in the second and saved a match point at 6-5 as part of an epic tie-break that went in his favour. 

Zverev was then more comfortable as he broke twice in the decider to seal victory, his American opponent paying the price for converting just one of his seven break-point opportunities in a match that made history for its late finish.

Elsewhere, Stefan Kozlov overcame cramps in the second set to outlast Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (10-8) 5-7 6-3, with that match lasting three hours and 21 minutes.

John Isner sent down 29 aces and saved a match point as he trailed 5-2 in the third set, ultimately winning 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) over veteran Fernando Verdasco in another epic topping the three-hour mark that helped to push back the start time for Zverev and Brooksby.

Seventh seed Taylor Fritz got past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-3, while Dusan Lajovic knocked off Sebastian Korda 6-4 4-6 7-5 and eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta beat Oscar Otte in straight sets.

At the Chile Open in Santiago, eighth seed Facundo Bagnis won 6-3 6-0 over Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the round of 32.

Brazilian Thiago Monteiro got past local Nicolas Jarry 7-6 (11-9) 6-4, while qualifier Juan Ignacio Londero and wildcard Thiago Seyboth Wild also progressed.

Rafael Nadal fended off a battling Emil Ruusuvuori to reach the Melbourne Summer Set final as the Spanish veteran bids to land the 89th singles title of his stellar career.

Nadal, who has won at least one ATP Tour tournament in every season from 2004 onwards, will look to extend that streak into a 19th year after scoring a 6-4 7-5 win on Rod Laver Arena.

He has not captured a title in Australia since 2009, when he landed his only Australian Open triumph to date by beating Roger Federer.

Nadal will be a strong favourite against American qualifier Maxime Cressy in Sunday's final, despite being made to work hard to see out victory over 22-year-old Ruusuvuori.

The 35-year-old Mallorcan looked set for a routine win but dropped serve at 5-3 in the second set, allowing world number 95 Ruusuvuori a path back into the contest.

It provided Nadal with a test of resolve that he came through, tying up victory in an hour and 56 minutes, an encouraging sign as he continues to battle for full sharpness after a near five-month absence.

Nadal acknowledges he may not have long left in tennis, and he wants to make the most of the opportunities that remain.

"I just love what I'm doing," he said in an on-court interview. "I always feel passionate about the sport in general and I feel a very lucky person that I can live from one of my hobbies, tennis.

"I know it's not forever and it's not a job I'm going to do for 50 years, but I want to enjoy it as much as I can while I still have the chance."

The foot injury that caused the 20-time grand slam winner to curtail his 2021 season in August has not prevented him finding winning form this week and now Paris-born Cressy awaits, with the 24-year-old world number 112 enjoying a remarkable week.

Cressy was a 7-5 7-6 (11-9) winner on Saturday against Bulgarian third seed Grigor Dimitrov, serving 17 aces on the way through to his first ATP Tour final.

At the Adelaide International 1 event, Gael Monfils will face Karen Khachanov for the trophy.

Top seed Monfils ended the spirited run of Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis, earning a 7-5 6-0 semi-final win, while second seed Khachanov battled past former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

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