World No. 44 Matteo Arnaldi commented on his significant victory over Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the Madrid Open, securing a 6/3, 7/5 win. This triumph marks a career milestone for the Italian, as he reached his first quarterfinal at a clay-court Masters event.
“I am very satisfied, I played a great match,” Arnaldi stated. “I know Frances well – we had a tough battle at Wimbledon, so this victory feels like revenge. I played confidently and handled the key moments effectively. Although I didn`t manage to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, I immediately made an important break back.”
He added context to his progression: “This year I beat Djokovic, and two years ago I beat Ruud. However, after those big wins, I sometimes struggled [referring to losing 0:2 in sets after beating Ruud], so I understood the need to improve. Now the main goal is to maintain focus, keep working on my game, and train hard. My last two matches have been challenging encounters, and I`m eagerly anticipating the next one.”
Marcus Blakely 
Gilbert Pendleton