Cincinnati (United States) (AFP)

Benoît Paire, 50th in the world, beat American John Isner (N.26) 7-6 (7/1) 6-7 (2/7) 6-1 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 that Gaël Monfils will not find, eliminated by the Russian Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/5).

Pair, 32, had not reached the quarter-finals of a tournament in this category, just below the Grand Slams, since Rome in 2013 where he even climbed in the semi-finals before losing to Roger Federer .

This time, he will face the Russian Andrey Rublev (7th), winner of Gaël Monfils a little later for a place in the last four.

Very disturbed by the sanitary bubbles imposed on the circuit since 2020, Paire had lined up six eliminations in a row as of his entry into the running since May before reaching the quarter-finals in Hamburg then Gstaad in July.

Thursday, against the 36-year-old American giant, semi-finalist at the Masters 1000 of Canada in Toronto last week, Paire put on another good performance after his victory in the previous round against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov (10th).

It is true that he benefited in the third set from a very clear physical decline from Isner.

But the first two sets were tight and the Frenchman overall mastered the American's enormous serve while relying on a very good throw-in despite numerous double faults.

- Monfils diminished -

A little later Monfils, 22nd in the world, lost in a match with a Hitchcockian scenario with a balanced first round but a disconcerting second due to a series of breaks and debreaks.

While the two players had each retained their service, it was ultimately in the tie break that everything was decided, the Russian negotiating the exchanges much better than the Frenchman at the end of his rope to remove the first set.

Gaël Monfils facing Russian Andrey Rublev at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, August 19, 2021 Dylan Buell Getty / AFP

At 2-0 in the second set, the French had to call in a trainer, visibly suffering from stomach aches and nausea.

"It was very hot, I felt I had something in my stomach. It was going up. After, at 2-0, I had to go and throw up. I think I threw up everything I had eaten this morning. After that I felt much better, "he explained.

He finally resumed the game after a seven-minute break.

He then served at 5-3 for the victory of the set, but again lost his footing, and ended up losing in another decisive game, on a double fault.

In the other meetings of the day, Daniil Medvedev, 2nd world player and seeded No.1, qualified for the quarter-finals by beating the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-3.

Medvedev, titled in Cincinnati in 2019, only needed 1h29 min to get rid of Dimitrov, who won the tournament in 2017.

The Russian will face in the quarter-final the Spaniard Pablo Carreno, seeded N.7, who dismissed the Polish Hubert Hurkacz in two sets concluded in the tie break 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3 ).

Also qualified for the quarterfinals: Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who beat Argentina's Guido Pella 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets.

In the evening, the Norwegian Casper Ruud was to face the Argentinian Diego Schwartzmann, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded No. 2, faced Lorenzo Sonego, and the Italian Matteo Berrettini was opposed to the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime.

Russian Daniil Medvedev savoring his victory over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in Cincinnati, August 19, 2021 MATTHEW STOCKMAN Getty / AFP

Among women, world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty easily beat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2.

She will face in the quarter-finals Czech Barbora Krejcíková, who qualified against Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2.

The German Angelique Kerber, who beat Jelena Ostapenko (4-6, 6-2, 7-5), will face the Czech Petra Kvitova or the Tunisian Ons Jabeur.

© 2021 AFP