No-drama Taylor Fritz saved all 11 break points he faced and threw down 13 aces in a 6-2, 6-7 (11), 6-1 defeat of Grigor Dimitrov which put the Californian into the Rome Masters quarter-finals.
The No. 13 won the opening set and saved nine Dimitrov set points while missing out on a point to claim the win in straight sets as Fritz double-faulted..
But Fritz dominated in the concluding set to reach his third career Masters 1000 quarter-final on clay after Monte Carlo and Madrid.
The American will play the last eight at the Foro Italico for the first time in five appearances in a victory which took nearly two and three-quarter hours and marked his 50th Tour quarter-final.
“Normally in those situations, I’d be a lot more uptight and nervy, but honestly I felt pretty calm,” Fritz said.
“I think it was tough (in the tiebreaker) because slowly the sun was moving the whole match.
He added: ““Sometimes you feel very good and are cool under pressure, and sometimes you don’t.
“It comes and it goes; today I felt very calm throughout the whole match. I genuinely just felt calm today.”
