Highlights: Bublik beats home favourite Moutet to reach last 16 in Paris
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Jannik Sinner said it was “not an easy situation” to overcome a problem with his right leg as he defeated Francisco Cerundolo to reach the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals.
The former world No. 1 beat the Argentine 7-5 6-1 in the French capital on Thursday evening, setting up a meeting in the last eight with American Ben Shelton following his win over Andrey Rublev.
Sinner appeared to have difficulty moving between points on court, and stretched his right leg on occasions during the first set, but did not have to resort to a medical timeout for any attention.
Despite that, Sinner conceded just two unforced errors and hit 12 winners in the first set, and then broke Cerundolo’s serve at the start of the second set, in a game that lasted 10 minutes.
The match was over in 86 minutes, with the second set coming much more easily for the Italian.
“I was up twice with the break in the first set and I could not convert,” Sinner said after his win.
“I put myself in not an easy situation, but I am happy with how I ended the match and I felt much better. Hopefully, it will give me the confidence to start off in a good way tomorrow. Hopefully, I can recover physically, which is my main priority. Today was a great match and a great performance from my side.”
The win for Sinner moves him to a 4-2 lead against Cerundolo in their head-to-head record, and he boasts 23 consecutive victories in indoor matches.
If Sinner wins the Paris Masters title, then he will regain the No. 1 ranking in the men’s side of the sport after Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out in the French capital by Cameron Norrie in the round of 32 earlier in the week.
Shelton reached the quarters with a 7-6(6) 6-3 victory over Rublev, and the American has lost his last six matches against Sinner, without winning a set in any of them.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Daniil Medvedev defeated Lorenzo Sonego with a 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4 comeback win. The 29-year-old needs to win the Paris Masters if he is to remain in with a chance of competing at the ATP Finals next month in Turin.
Medvedev enjoyed something of a return to form after winning the Almaty Open against Corentin Moutet earlier this month over three sets, his first title in almost three years.
Highlights: Sinner into third round of Paris Masters after beating Bergs
Video credit: SNTV
His next match in Paris will be against Alexander Zverev, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 6-4 later on Thursday.
In the tournament’s other quarter-finals, Alexander Bublik will take on Alex de Minaur, while Valentin Vacherot faces Felix Auger Aliassime, with all four last-eight matches taking place on Friday.
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