Alex de Minaur reaches third round of Erste Bank Open after Flavio Cobolli retires
De Minaur was leading 6-3 4-2 when Cobolli was forced to retire due to an injury
The Aussie will now face either Grigor Dimitrov or Jannik Sinner in the last 16
Alex de Minaur has reached the third round of the Erste Bank Open after Flavio Cobolli was forced to retire due to an injury.
The Aussie was leading 6-3 4-2 when Cobolli called it a day, handing De Minaur a place in the last 16.
De Minaur will now face either Grigor Dimitrov or Jannik Sinner in the next round.
The match was evenly poised in the early stages, with both players holding serve comfortably.
But De Minaur began to take control in the sixth game, breaking Cobolli's serve to love.
The Aussie then held his own serve to take a 5-2 lead, and he broke Cobolli again in the eighth game to seal the first set.
De Minaur continued to dominate in the second set, breaking Cobolli's serve in the first game.
Cobolli managed to break back in the fourth game, but De Minaur broke him again in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead.
Cobolli then called for the trainer and received treatment on his left thigh.
The Italian tried to continue, but he was clearly hampered by the injury and he was forced to retire a few minutes later.
De Minaur will now be confident of reaching the quarter-finals, having reached the last eight in his last two tournaments.
The Aussie is in good form and he will be looking to make a deep run in Vienna this week.
