Jannik Sinner is through to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters after defeating Francisco Cerundolo.
In another straight-set victory at the final Masters 1000 tournament of the season, Sinner beat the Argentinian 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 25 minutes.
The Italian saw his chances of winning the Paris Masters skyrocket when world number one Carlos Alcaraz lost to Cameron Norrie in the second round.
It will not be completely plain sailing for Sinner, however, having now issued a slightly concerning update on his physical state.
Jannik Sinner reacts to reaching the quarterfinals in Paris
Analysing his performance in his on-court interview, Sinner said: “I was up twice with a break in the first set. I couldn’t convert and I put myself in a not easy situation, but I’m happy with how I ended the match.
“I felt much better. Hopefully, this can give me the confidence to start off tomorrow in a good way, hopefully.
“Every match is different, so let’s see what’s coming, but you know, I hope that I can recover physically, which is my main priority, and then we’ll see how it goes, but today was still a great match and a great performance from my side.”
Sinner was struggling physically during the Vienna Open final against Alexander Zverev, but still managed to beat the German to win the title.
“We tried to manage it,” said the 24-year-old. “Of course, I am not ‘fresh fresh’, but let’s see. I feel like today was a match that was not as physical, which was good for me.
“I’m happy to finish it off in two sets and under one and a half hours. I’m going to sleep very well tonight, and I am going to be ready for tomorrow.
“It’s going to be a very difficult opponent tomorrow, so I have to play at 100%. Hopefully, I can do that, and we all hope for a great match.”
Jannik Sinner’s quarterfinal opponent at the Paris Masters
It does not get any easier for Sinner in the quarterfinals, with his last eight opponent coming in the form of Ben Shelton.
Shelton has seen a return to form at the Paris Masters, having picked up consecutive tour-level wins for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury at the US Open.
The American has yet to drop a set in the French capital, clinching big wins against Flavio Cobolli and 12th seed Andrey Rublev.
Sinner does have a commanding 6-1 lead in his head-to-head with the US star, however, and won their most recent matchup at Wimbledon.
The last time Shelton picked up a win over Sinner was at the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
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