Jaziri shocks Zverev to reach last eight at China Open

Malek Jaziri will play his second quarter-final in as many weeks on Friday when he takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili at the China Open in Beijing. On Thursday night Jaziri - the world number 61 - beat the fifth ranked Alex Zverev in three sets in the last 16.

Malek Jaziri, who has been on the senior ATP circuit since 2003, is seeking his first title. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

It finished 7-6 2-6 6-4 after two hours and 32 minutes.

Zverev, 21, smashed his racquet on the court after his backhand went wide to hand victory to his 34-year-old opponent.

"All the games were close and I think I played a good tactical match," said Jaziri. "I changed the rhythm and tried to go to the net. It worked well and I'm really happy to have won."

Last week at the Chengdu Open, Jaziri reached the quarter-final where he lost to Joao Sousa.

"Nikoloz has been playing well," said Jaziri of his next adversary. "He is playing with confidence. It will be another battle and hopefully I will play smart and play my game."

Fourth seed Fabio Fognini moved into the last eight in Beijing on Thursday with a straight sets win over Andrey Rublev from Russia.

With Zverev's elimination, Juan Martin del Potro will be the favourite for the title in China. The top seed take on the unseeded Serbian Filip Krajinovic for a place in Saturday's semi-final.