PARIS — Alexander Zverev showcased his serving prowess and managed to quiet the boisterous crowd in attendance, defeating French rising star Arthur Fils with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday.
The German, seeded third, fired off 16 aces, surpassing Fils’ nine in their inaugural indoor clash. The fast court conditions favored Zverev, known for his powerful serves and aggressive forehands. With this victory, Zverev improved his head-to-head record against Fils to 3-1.
“I’m really pleased that I stayed focused throughout this match. It was an excellent contest,” Zverev commented. “Arthur is a remarkable talent and has made significant strides this year. I’m excited for our future encounters.”
As the runner-up at the French Open, Zverev demonstrated composure, notably saving three break points while serving at 5-3 despite the home crowd’s fervent support for Fils.
“The atmosphere here is distinctly louder compared to Roland Garros,” Zverev, 27, noted. “It feels like the court is more intimate and the spectators are closer, which is a unique experience on the tour that I truly enjoy.”
Zverev will next face 10th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in their 16th career matchup, with Tsitsipas currently leading the series 10-5.
The Greek player, known for his strong serve, fought back from a set down to defeat Francisco Cerundolo with a scoreline of 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2, keeping his hopes alive for qualification for the ATP Finals set to take place next month in Turin, where the top eight players of the season will compete.
Despite Tsitsipas’s solid serving—featuring nine aces and effective defense against break points—he struggled to convert opportunities on Cerundolo’s serve, turning only three of his 11 break-point opportunities into points.
In other third-round clashes later on Thursday, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz was set to confront 15th-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert, while eighth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov needed a win over Arthur Rinderknech to have a realistic shot at the ATP Finals. Positioned 10th in the race, Dimitrov must reach the final in Paris, where last year he finished as a runner-up to Novak Djokovic.
In further results, 2018 champion Karen Khachanov secured a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory against Alexei Popyrin.
Australian Jordan Thompson reached the first Masters quarterfinal of his career after defeating seasoned player Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6 (5), overcoming two set points in the second set.
“It’s what we’ve been striving for—achieving significant results in major tournaments,” Thompson remarked. “Things got a bit tense toward the end, but I managed to turn it around effectively.”
Additionally, top-ranked player Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Paris Masters, as did the record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.