Rio de Janeiro, Feb 19 (AP) Top-seeded Matteo Berrettini of Italy beat Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the rain-plagued Rio Open clay-court tournament.

The match that was initially scheduled for Thursday evening, but ended only minutes before Saturday began in Rio de Janeiro.

Also Read | Lionel Messi Receives Support From Cesc Fabregas After Argentine Receives Criticism Due to Missed Penalty Against Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League 2021-22 Round of 16.

“I had two match points in the second set, but Thiago was strong,” the sixth-ranked Berrettini said, remembering of a moment of the match that took place seven hours before he could play the last points.

“Here I am near midnight, playing. You have to be strong mentally.”

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo To Replace Harry Maguire As Manchester United Captain? Ralf Rangnick Denies Rumours.

The last round-of-16 match was expected finish early Saturday. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz led Argenina's Federico Delbonis 5-4 when the match was interrupted due to rain.

Rain also forced organizers to postpone two quarterfinal clashes for Saturday, with Argentina's Diego Schwartzman set to face Spain's Pablo Andujar, and Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic to play Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)