Australia’s Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of the Paris Masters after a 6-3 6-4 loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Rafael Nadal continued his quest for a maiden Paris title with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Stan Wawrinka.
It took 21-year-old Tsitsipas – who had 11 aces in the contest – just 69 minutes to defeat de Minaur in the French capital.
Tsitsipas will now face four-time champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals following his 50th ATP win of the season – a 7-6 (9-7) 6-1 win against Kyle Edmund.
Tsitsipas’ victory was his 100th tour-level win in 160 matches, reaching the century of wins faster than seven of the other members of the top 10, excluding Nadal (137) and Djokovic (143).
De Minaur will now play the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan next week.
Djokovic awaits Tsitsipas in the last eight, and the four-time champion is looking close to his best.
After needing seven set points to clinch the first set against Edmund, the top-ranked Serb reeled off six successive games in the second, finishing it off by breaking his British opponent to love with a two-handed backhand winner into the left corner.
He turned quickly to give his box a look of steely determination and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic – who joined his coaching team at this year’s Wimbledon – stood to applaud him for his 50th win of the season.
“It was because my coach told me I don’t have a great return. So finishing off with a return winner, I kind of gave him a look. No I’m joking,” said Djokovic, who is widely considered among the game’s greatest ever returners.
The 16-time grand slam champion served well, too, winning 89 per cent of first serve points won and conceding no break points.
“I have not played my best yesterday, so of course I was hoping I can do as well as I did in second set. The look was about that.”
Nadal will take over as world number one from Djokovic on Monday, and converted two of his three break chances to claim his 19th win in 22 encounters against the Wawrinka.
The 19-time grand slam champion will next face local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat German Jan-Lennard Sruff 2-6 6-4 7-6(6), making the most of his wildcard status in Paris.
The result ended Wawrinka’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, leaving only Frenchman Gael Monfils and Italian Matteo Berrettini with a chance to grab the last of eight tickets for the November 10-17 showdown.
Sixth seed Alexander Zverev also exited after being beaten 6-2 5-7 6-2 by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Grigor Dimitrov also advanced by beating Dominic Thiem 6-3 6-2, and next plays Cristian Garin, an unseeded Chilean who saved three match points in a 6-7 (7-4) 6-4 7-6 (6) win against Jeremy Chardy.
