Third seed Alexander Zverev beat Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to reach the Round of 16 at the Rolex Paris Masters. Zverev has become the fourth player in history to reach the Round of 16 at all nine ATP Masters in one season.
Zverev saved a break point in each of his first two service games. The German player then fended off a set point on serve at 4-5 before winning 16 consecutive points on serve. He earned three mini-breaks to close out the tie-break 7-2 in the first set. Zverev won six tie-breaks in his past five matches against Griekspoor.
Zverev earned a break of serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and closed out the second set on his second match point in the ninth game.
“The last few matches that we played always went to the distance, 7-6 in the fifth set at Roland Garros, 7-6 in the third set in Shanghai as well. It was a very fast court. I think it is one of the fastest courts I have ever played on. I had to find my rhythm at the beginning but I am happy to come trough in the end”, said Zverev.
Zverev will face French Next Gen player Arhur Fils for a spot in the quarter final. Fils beat Marin Cilic and Jan Lennard Struff to clinch his first two main draw wins at the Paris Masters 1000 tournament. Zverev and Fils are 1-1 in their two head-to-head matches. Zverev won at the ATP 500 on grass in Halle. Fils beat Zverev in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg.
Alex De Minaur beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to boost his chances to qualify for the qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin. Kecmanovic earned an early break in the first game, but De Minaur broke straight back to level to 1-1. De Minaur broke for the second time in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Kecmanovic pulled back on serve to draw level to draw level to 4-4. De Minaur closed it out with a break on his first set point. Kecmanovic converted his second break point on his fourth deuce in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Zverev saved two break points in the ninth game before breaking back in the 10th game to draw level to 5-5. De Minaur won the tie-break 7-5 with a mini-break.
De Minaur is one win away from overtaking Andrey Rublev for the eighth place in in the ATP Live Race in Turin. De Minaur has reached the Round of 16 for the fifth time in his six appearances in Paris Bericy. He achieved his best result in 2023 when he reached the quarter final.
Draper will face against Jack Draper, who upset Taylor Fritz 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 6-4 to extend his winning streak to seven consecutive matches. Both players converted on two break points. Draper earned 10 break points to Fritz’s 2 and hit 14 aces.
Draper clinched the tie-break with a stunning forehand winner. In the second set the British player was not able to convert any of his six break points at 3-2 in a marathon Fritz service game that featured 10 deuces. Fritz broke Draper’s serve in the next game en route to winning the second set 6-4 to level the match. Draper earned his only break in the 10th game at the end of a tight third set after a double fault from Fritz to seal the win on his first match point.
Draper reached the semifinals at the US Open and won the ATP 500 title in Vienna. The British player has risen to 15th player in the ATP Ranking.
“it’s always a tough battle against Taylor. He is a top player and is in amazing form. I am really happy with the win and proud with my win”, said Draper.
