Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic hits a return against Tommy Paul of the US during their men's singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan 19, 2022. (WILLIAM WEST / AFP)

RIO DE JANEIRO - Unseeded Serb Miomir Kecmanovic reached the Rio Open quarterfinals on Thursday with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over sixth-seed Lorenzo Sonego.

The 70th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic won 74 percent of his service points and troubled Lorenzo Sonego with his returning to take the match in an hour and 42 minutes

The 70th-ranked 22-year-old won 74 percent of his service points and troubled the Italian with his returning to take the match in an hour and 42 minutes on the outdoor clay of the Jockey Club Brasileiro.

Kecmanovic will face Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the semifinals after the Argentine overcame Spain's Roberto Carballes in their round of 16 clash.

Earlier, second-seed Casper Ruud of Norway withdrew from the ATP 500 tournament because of an abdominal injury. He was replaced by Spaniard Roberto Carballes, who lost his second-round duel with Cerundolo.

READ MORE: Nadal takes 21st Grand Slam title at Australian Open

The match between Argentina's Federico Delbonis and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz was suspended due to rain with the latter leading 5-4 in the first set.