Stefanos Tsitsipas eliminated Francisco Cerundolo in a 2-1 set comeback to reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals.

The Greek tennis star overcame the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo with scores of 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 and will now compete for a semifinal spot against either Alexander Zverev or Hubert Hurkacz.

Tsitsipas remains “alive” in the race for the ATP Finals, where five players have already qualified, leaving three spots open. To secure his place at the Finals no matter what, Tsitsipas will need to win the Paris title, though reaching the final could still position him within the qualifying range—either as an alternate or directly if Djokovic opts out of competing.

Match Recap

Tsitsipas is generally performing well in the Bercy tournament and was strong again today, despite a less-than-ideal first set. It was a set in which he couldn’t effectively threaten Cerundolo’s serve, while the Argentine had three break opportunities. Though neither player managed to break serve, Cerundolo dominated the tiebreak 7-1 to secure the first set.

There was some concern toward the end of the first set as Tsitsipas experienced discomfort in his right knee, prompting him to take a medical timeout before the tiebreak. However, it did not prove serious, allowing him to resume the match without any movement restrictions.

After losing the first set, Tsitsipas showed resilience and physical strength to bounce back on court with renewed energy. He missed several break points early in the second set but ultimately broke Cerundolo’s serve in the third game to lead 2-1. Tsitsipas had further chances for a double break and eventually won the set with a single break margin in the tenth game without facing any immediate threat to his serve.

Tsitsipas continued his dominance in the third set, where he achieved two breaks, in the third (2-1) and fifth games (4-1). He comfortably closed out the set in the eighth game, wrapping up the match after 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Stefanos maintains a solid record at the Paris Masters, having reached the semifinals in both 2022 and 2023. To advance to the final four again this year, he’ll need one more victory in this tournament.