Alexander Zverev ended Stefanos Tsitsipas’ bid for an ATP Finals spot with a decisive 7-5, 6-4 victory in the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Friday. Zverev, 27, kept his quest for his first title in Paris alive, setting up a semi-final showdown with Holger Rune, who narrowly defeated Alex de Minaur.
In their 16th clash, Zverev and Tsitsipas began with a balanced first set, each player pushing for control. “At the beginning, he was outplaying me,” Zverev acknowledged on court, “but I found my rhythm from the baseline.”
After breaking Tsitsipas’ serve at 5-5, Zverev seized the momentum, holding firm despite Tsitsipas’ efforts to regain control.
With Tsitsipas trailing early in the second set, Zverev solidified his advantage, capitalising on multiple break points to keep the Greek at bay. Tsitsipas, struggling to regain footing, was unable to threaten Zverev’s serve as the German held on to clinch his sixth win against his rival.
The loss caps a difficult season for Tsitsipas, who remains world number 11 and will miss out on the ATP Finals for the first time since winning the event in 2019. Meanwhile, Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the tournament, now aims for his second ATP 1000 title this season.
