CONGRATULATIONS: Zverev knocks out Fils to book quarter-final meeting with Tsitsipas at Paris Masters

Alexander Zverev came through a stern test against Arthur Fils, battling past the Frenchman 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to return to the last eight of the Paris Masters in a gripping contest.

The match was played against the backdrop of a typically cacophonous and partisan local crowd – something which has become synonymous with this tournament over the years – with double-faults from the German routinely met with eruptions of celebration from the Parisian spectators.

To his credit, this appeared to do little to disrupt Zverev’s focus, who has earned some measure of revenge over the world No 20 in their first meeting since a highly-charged encounter in the final of the Hamburg Open earlier this year.

That match ended in an icy handshake after Zverev, and the German crowd, had taken offence to an underarm serve from the Frenchman in the closing stages of the contest.

While there was no repeat of such contention in Paris, drama never felt far from the surface in a pulsating match-up that unfolded inside a feverish atmosphere on Bercy’s Court Central.

high-quality encounter ultimately goes zverev’s way

A closely-fought first set was decided by a single break of serve from the German in the ninth game of the set, who proceeded to comfortably serve out a one-set lead in the next game. Zverev’s tactic to target Fils’ forehand return was highly effective, with a greater percentage of missed returns leaking from that wing for the Frenchman.

But in truth there was little to separate the two players, with both serving efficiently and covering the court well. Zverev won just two more points than his opponent in that opening stanza, but a drop in first serve percentage in that ninth game proved expensive for Fils.

However, it was an equally costly lapse from Zverev in a loose fourth game in the second set to hand the Frenchman a crucial break, much to the delight of the Parisian crowd.

That was enough for Fils to gain parity as the rest of the set went on serve to draw the pair level at one set apiece.

A break for Zverev in the fourth game of the deciding set put the German on his way to a 5-3 lead and serving for the match. But he had to stave off three break points in a nerve-jangling final game, before he eventually got over the line on his second match point to clinch his place in the quarter-finals.

It was difficult being down 15-40 [in the final game]. He had an easy forehand to get back to 5-4, but I’m happy that I hung in there,” Zverev said in a post-match interview.

“Definitely a great match. He’s an incredible player, he improved a lot this year and I’m looking forward to the next few battles I’m going to have with him.

“The atmosphere here is a lot louder than it is at Roland-Garros. It’s crazy. It feels like the court is much smaller and the crowd is on top of you.

“It’s something we don’t get a lot on tour, but I love it. I love to play in Paris, it’s one of my favourite cities in the world to play because of the crowd. They’ve very loud.”

tsitsipas awaits in quarter-finals, as fils ends impressive breakthrough season

After five Frenchmen made it through to the fourth round of the tournament, the first two have fallen as Fils joins compatriot Adrian Mannarino in being knocked out on day four of the competition.

Yet, the future of French tennis is undeniably bright, with both Fils and his good friend Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard recently earning noteable title wins in Tokyo and Basel respectively.

A statement 1000-level trophy in front of home fans will have to wait for at least another year, however, as a gruelling but highly rewarding season comes to an end for the Frenchman.

Zverev’s reward, meanwhile, for coming through against home hope Fils is another instalment of his ongoing rivalry with tenth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.

The pair have met once before at the Paris Masters, with the Greek coming through in two close sets a year ago in the round of 16.

This time around, there will be the added pressure for Tsitsipas of knowing that anything other than a run to the final in the French capital will knock him out of the race to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month.

They will meet for the 16th time on Friday in what should be another entertaining contest at this year’s Paris Masters – the final edition to be held in Bercy before the prestigious tournament moves to La Défense in western Paris next year.