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Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France – November 5, 2020 Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his third round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson REUTERS / Gonzalo Fuentes
PARIS – Top seed Rafa Nadal was forced to save a set point before beating Australian Jordan Thompson 6-1 7-6 (3) on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.
A day after becoming the fourth player in the Open Era to record 1,000 circuit victories, Nadal resumed his quest for an inaugural Paris-Bercy title and broke Thompson’s serve twice to convincingly claim the first set.
The world number two saved a set point with his serve as he trailed 5-6 in the second, winning a 26-shot rally that ended with a backhand error by Thompson.
“He started serving well in the second set. I missed a couple of laps that I shouldn’t have done, ”Nadal said. “I suffered until the end but I found a way to win the tiebreak.”
Nadal, who has now reached the quarter-finals in all eight appearances at the indoor tournament, will face his compatriot Pablo Carreño Busta.
Previously, sixth seed Diego Schwartzman edged Spanish qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 and is now one win away from qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time in his career.
World No. 9 Schwartzman takes the final automatic qualifying spot for the season finale at London’s O2 Arena from 15-22 November.
The Argentine will face Russian Daniil Medvedev, who came back from a set against to beat Australian Alex de Miñaur 5-7 6-2 6-2 in just under two hours.
“I watched his match and Diego played very well,” Medvedev said of Schwartzman, who finished runner-up in three ATP tournaments this season.
“I think he made five unforced errors and was returning a lot of balls on the court. He served quite well and it will be a very tough game, because he has been on fire this year ”.
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