Paris (AFP)
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal joined Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (35th) in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters 1000 by mastering Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka (16th) in two sets 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday.
Nadal, who is under the roof of Bercy his return to official competition more than a month and a half after his coronation at the US Open and who knew an umpteenth alert left hand in late September, briefly worried when he did call to the doctor in the middle of the second run (3-2), a priori for stomach pains. But that did not stop him from imposing some games later.
This defeat of Wawrinka puts an end to his last hopes of qualifying for the Masters of end of season (November 10-17). After the elimination of the young Australian Alex De Minaur earlier in the day, there is now only Gael Monfils who is able to dislodge the Italian Matteo Berrettini of the eighth and last qualifying place for the big appointment Londoner.
To achieve this, Monfils only needs to reach the last square. He is opposed later Thursday night to Moldovan Radu Albot (50th) in the round of 16.
Wawrinka is the last player to beat Nadal at Bercy, and that goes back to 2015, already in the quarter-finals. Since then, the Majorcan had never been able to align (2016 and 2018) or he had to give up en route (2017).
Thursday, an early break in the first set, then a timely, 5-4 in the second, was enough to "Rafa" to win in just 1:30.
Whatever happens in Paris, Nadal is sure to dethrone Novak Djokovic of the place of N.1 world next Monday. And both players are fighting for the throne at the end of the year.
© 2019 AFP