Jannik Sinner continued his impressive run at the Paris Masters on Thursday, easing past Argentina’s world No. 21 Francisco Cerúndolo 7-5, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.

Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik also produced a standout performance, defeating American fourth seed Taylor Fritz in straight sets to boost his own hopes in the race to the ATP Finals.

A first title in the French capital would see Sinner reclaim the world No. 1 ranking after current holder Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprise early exit to Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

The 24-year-old Italian, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has yet to drop a set this week as he targets a fifth trophy of the season.

“The first set was very important. Francisco is a very talented player and difficult to play against because his level is so high,” Sinner said in his on-court interview.
“In the second set I raised my level, and I’m really happy to reach the quarter-finals here for the first time.”

After a tense opening set featuring four consecutive breaks, Sinner finally broke through at 6-5 to seize control. From there, he raced ahead in the second, winning five straight games before serving out the match.

He will face US fifth seed Ben Shelton in Friday’s quarter-final. Shelton advanced with a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev — another milestone in a breakout year for the 23-year-old, who claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto earlier this season and secured qualification for his first ATP Finals appearance in Turin.

“It’s the reward for a year’s work — a lot of ups and downs, great results, poor results, and learning to bounce back,” Shelton reflected after the win.