Part-timer Matija Pecotic checks in on his day job before Cinderella story comes to an end

ATP Tour
Matija Pecotic in action

Matija Pecotic made a pitstop at his day job on Wednesday before heading back to the Delray Beach Open to write another episode of his incredible Cinderella story.

In case you missed it, Pecotic is a part-time tennis player as he has a full-time job as a director at a real estate investor company in West Palm Beach, Florida, which is a roughly 20-minute drive from Delray Beach Tennis Center.

The world No 784 reached the main draw of an ATP Tour event for the first time in his career after coming through qualifying as an alternate at the ATP 250 event and on Tuesday the story continued as he stunned former world No 8 Jack Sock in the first round.

Afterwards he joked: “I had to leave work early today. I had to send an email to the whole team. My boss let me off. I’m going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow.”

The Croatian, though, still had to check in at work on Wednesday before his clash against Marcos Giron.

Once the match got underway, he struggled against the world No 55 as Giron broke in game five and again in game nine although Pecotic did have two break points himself in game six.

A single break in game four of the second set earned the American a 6-3, 6-3 victory in one hour and 18 minutes.

In an interview with the ATPTour.com, Citi Open Chairman Mark Ein described the 33-year-old’s run as “Cinderella story”, saying: “[His story] is so fantastic. This is really a Cinderella story unlike very many.”

But the Delray Beach Open chapter is over with Giron booking his spot in the quarter-final where he will face fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic.

There was a big upset in the top half of the draw as third seed Denis Shapovalov was stunned by unseeded American Michael Mmoh, who won 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

“I think I just started off a little flat,” Mmoh, who found himself 1-4 down in the opening set, said. “I just tried to tell myself to increase the energy…

“I wanted, win or lose, just to have energy. That got me back in the first set, and unfortunately I lost the second but my energy was there throughout. I think that’s part of the reason I got the W.”

It will be an all-American clash in the last eight after Mackenzie McDonald upset fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Denis Shapovalov Marcos Giron Matija Pecotic

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