Paris (AFP)

Gael Monfils said goodbye to the Masters of the end of the season, blown 6-2, 6-2 in 59 minutes by the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov (28th) in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 of Paris Friday night.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (35th), he has held out against world No. 2 Rafael Nadal for the first time. But he only scored one game later (7-6 (7/4), 6-1). There are no more French in the running at Bercy.

At the rendezvous of the last square in the Parisian hall for the first time in six years, Nadal will face Shapovalov (28th).

The other semifinal will pit world No.1 Novak Djokovic against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (27).

To pock the last qualifier for the prestigious London tournament bringing together the eight best players of the season, the equation was simple for Monfils: he no longer remained "more than" to reach the semi-finals. It is finally the Italian Matteo Berrettini who inherits it.

If what he showed as his goal N.1, finish in the top 10, is filled, the 33-year-old Parisian did not know - or could - fully enjoy a table particularly favorable to Bercy, cleared by the last minute package of Roger Federer, to invite to the Masters for the second time, after 2016.

He does not make it a mountain, and insists that if he touched her finger this week, it was only because of a "combination of circumstances", related to the early and progressive eliminations other suitors.

- "I did not have the weapons" -

"I managed to delude myself, even to play a place for the Masters with my current state," positive Monfils, who had said "physically and mentally dead" earlier this week.

"I'm not going to say I'm relieved, but I'm tired, I feel you take me for a robot ...", he says.

In the position of second substitute, he will however make the trip to London ... but more because his companion, the Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina, like it! His priority now is to rest before the Davis Cup new look in late November.

Under the roof of Bercy, the suspense has been short: the Habs have never had a chance against the young Canadian southpaw. More lively and much more punchy, Shapovalov quickly widened the gap in the first set thanks to a double break. In full success, particularly with his aesthetic one-handed backhand, he did not loose his prey in the second and quickly escaped 4 games to 0.

On the other side of the net, Monfils was out of gear, overwhelmed by the length of his opponent's strikes, and was struggling to hold the exchange. Which earned him a sad record of seven winning strokes for sixteen unforced errors.

"I have a medium level that allows me to win some matches and that took me to here, but here I just did not have the weapons," he admits bluntly.

- Djokovic in 58 minutes chrono -

Falling with the honors against Nadal, Tsonga (34 years old), the beneficiary of an invitation, will see him his nice Parisian course rewarded by a return in the top 30, at the 29th rank precisely.

"I get back to my goals: I left the 300th place worldwide (around the 250th in fact) and now, I'm seeded on the next Grand Slam a priori, it's positive", welcomes-t- he.

Match after match, the physics of "Rafa", which had not been seen in official competition since his coronation at the US Open and had experienced yet another alert left hand at the end of September, holds for now, even in indoor conditions that often did not smile.

Side Djokovic, only his voice still raucous still bet he was sick at the beginning of the week.

On the court, no trace: the Serb made a mouthful of Tsitsipas, devoured in 58 minutes (6-1, 6-2).

"I played one of my best games of the year, I served well, I read his service very well, I put him under constant pressure," he says.

If Nadal is sure to dethrone Djokovic at the top of the world tennis next Monday, the two players continue to surrender shot for blow in their duel for the place of world No.1 at the end of the season.

Raising the trophy in Bercy, where he has never won, yet guarantee the Majorcan finish 2019 in the costume of N.1 world.

© 2019 AFP