Vukic came back big to fill the field of Sofia Open QF

Australian Aleksandar Vukic defeated Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 1:6, 6:4, 6:3 to move into the last eight of the Sofia Open at the Arena Armeec on Thursday evening.

It was Vikic’s second victory in row against former Top 10 player after defeating Fabio Fognini in the first round.

It is a welcome return to form for the 26-year-old Australian, who was sidelined with injury for three months midseason. It derailed a promising season start, which saw Vukic reach a first ATP quarterfinal in Adelaide, score a first Grand Slam main draw win at the Australian Open and then rise to a career-high ranking of No.117 in February after claiming an ATP Challenger title in India.

Vukic, ranked No 144, will face Italian Jannik Sinner, the top seed, next.