Djokovic and Zverev advances to Paris Masters quarterfinals

PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday without playing a point because Gael Monfils pulled out injured.

Monfils, who is 0-17 against the top-ranked Djokovic, said he has an adductor injury.

“Following the medical opinion of my team, we did an ultrasound a few hours ago and we identified the muscular lesion,” the Frenchman said. “Following this, we decided with the medical team and my tennis team to withdraw.”

Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced to the last eight after beating No. 16 Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 6-3 in an intense contest lasting 2 hours, 45 minutes and where Dimitrov saved two match points in the second set.

Zverev broke for a 4-3 lead in a tight first set but was broken back to 5-5 when serving for the set. He controlled the tiebreaker and clinched it with a volley at the net.

Zverev saved a break point with an ace in the ninth game of the second set and then had two match points with Dimitrov serving at 6-5. Dimitrov saved both of them with volleys at the net.

In the tiebreaker, Dimitrov raced into a 6-1 lead and then clinched it with a service winner, after Zverev had saved two set points.

Momentum finally drifted away from Dimitrov when he failed to punish Zverev in the sixth game of the decider, when Zverev was 0-40 down on his serve. Zverev broke for a 4-3 lead and saved another break point in the next game.

The imposing German then converted his third match point when Dimitrov sliced a return into the net.

Zverev next plays either sixth-seeded Casper Ruud or American qualifier Marcos Giron.

Later Thursday, defending champion Daniil Medvedev was to face Sebastian Korda in their first career meeting.

Monfils, meanwhile, expressed sadness at not being able to play in front of his parents, who had traveled from the Caribbean to watch him.

“Well, horrible frustration, because all of my family, my relatives are here, my mother came from Martinique and my dad from Guadeloupe,” Monfils said. “We waited until the last moment, and yesterday the ultrasound was not great. This morning we did another ultrasound, it was not fantastic either.”

Djokovic, a five-time champion at the Paris Masters, will next face Taylor Fritz. The unseeded American beat 10th-seeded Cameron Norrie 6-3, 7-6 (3) to hurt the British player’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals.

Fritz saved two set points while trailing 40-15 in the 10th game of the second set. He later held serve to force a tiebreaker and had four match points at 6-2. Norrie saved one match point on his his own serve, but Fritz followed up a strong first serve with a forehand winner on the next point to advance.

Fritz has lost all four of his career matches against Djokovic, including losses this year at the Australian Open and the Rome Masters.

“Obviously (I am) playing my best tennis,” Fritz said. “I think if there was a time, it would be now that I can really push him.”

Seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz rallied to beat lucky loser Dominik Koepfer 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to strengthen his chances of clinching a spot at the Finals, which starts on Nov. 14.

Hurkacz will reach the Finals if he wins his quarterfinal against James Duckworth, an unseeded Australian who advanced to his first Masters quarterfinal with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory over Alexei Popyrin.

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