Paris Masters: Alexander Zverev beats Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach semifinals

PARIS: Alexander Zverev became just the third active player to reach 20 ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas to end the Greek’s Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

In the latest meeting of his long-running rivalry with Tsitsipas, Zverev saved the one break point he faced and hit with aggression and purpose in the fast indoor conditions to earn a 7-5, 6-4 win after one hour and 44 minutes in the French capital.

Zverev, who joins Novak Djokovic (78) and Rafael Nadal (76) as a 20-time Masters 1000 semi-finalist, also became the first player born in the 1990s to earn 100 Top 20 wins (100-101). The 28-year-old Daniil Medvedev, born in 1996, is second, holding a 99-73 record.

Zverev is chasing his seventh Masters 1000 title and second of the season, having won in Rome. After improving to 6-10 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Tsitsipas, the German will face Australian Alex de Minaur or Dane Holger Rune in the semi-finals.

Tsitsipas is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but can no longer qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held November 10-17. Eighth-placed De Minaur (3,745 points) and 13th-placed Rune (2,825 points) are still in qualification contention.

Ugo Humbert staged a stunning third-round upset of Carlos Alcaraz. The home favourite prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in a richly entertaining encounter to book a quarterfinal spot at his home ATP Masters 1000 on Thursday night. Humbert’s two-hour, 17-minute win was the joint-biggest of his career by PIF ATP Ranking, equalling his victory against then-No. 2 Daniil Medvedev at the 2022 ATP Cup. Agencies

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