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Nadal pulled out of the tournament
Rafael Nadal was to have played Filip Krajinovi? in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters on Friday, but the 31-year-old withdrew from the tournament citing an injury to his right knee.
Nadal had to dig deep to defeat Pablo Cuevas 6-3 6-7 6-3 in the third round yesterday. It was evident that the Spaniard was in discomfort, and he had to get his right knee taped during the final set.
He did not confirm whether he would play the Nitto ATP Finals next week, the prestigious title that has eluded him so far. "For me it's not about London. For me it's about longer term," he said.
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However, his first round win against Hyeon Chung secured his year-end ranking of No. 1, making him the oldest male player to finish the year at the top spot.
Isner got the better of del Potro
John Isner and Juan Martin del Potro battled it out in a 3-set thriller and the American came out on top, with a 6-4 6-7 6-4 win over the Argentine.
With this win, Isner has resurrected his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. Isner needs to win the title in order to qualify for London.
Del Potro's run in this tournament has bittersweet implications - while his loss to Isner has ended his bid to play in London, he will, on Monday, move into the top 10 of the ATP rankings, replacing Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, who hasn't played a match since Wimbledon this year, will find himself ranked outside the top 10 for the first time since 2007.
Cilic stunned by Benneteau
World No. 83 Julien Benneteau defeated World No. 5 Marin Cilic 7-6 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals of the Paris Masters.
Benneteau has had a wonderful tournament so far, overpowering the likes of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin, and now Marin Cilic to make it to the last four. The Frenchman needs to eke out two more solid performances to get his hands on his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in singles.
Sock moved into the semi-finals
25-year old-American Jack Sock breezed past Fernando Verdasco with a 7-6 6-2 6-3 victory in the quarter-finals. Ranked No. 22 in the world, he came back from a set down to knock Verdasco out of the tournament.
Sock needs to win the title to qualify for London. He will face Benneteau in the semi-final tomorrow.
