Jordan Thompson and Alex de Minaur ensured two Aussies advanced to the Paris Masters last eight for the first time.
Melbourne, 4 November 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Jordan Thompson added another feather in his cap in a standout season following his run to a maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Paris.
For the third time this year, the 30-year-old gained the better of Norway’s Casper Ruud and he backed up his win over the seventh seed against Adrian Mannarino for a last-eight berth.
The breakthrough came in his 28th Masters 1000 campaign and ended at the hands of eventual finalist Ugo Humbert. He also reached the doubles semifinals with his US Open-winning partner, Max Purcell.
> READ MORE: De Minaur powers into position for ATP Finals place
In a late sprint to the finish line, Alex de Minaur moved into the box seat to qualify for his maiden ATP Tour Finals appearance after he too made the Paris Masters quarterfinals.
It marked the first time in the event’s 38-year-old history at Bercy that two Australians made it as far.
3 – Since the format’s inception in 1990, Jordan Thompson is now only the third Australian aged 30+ to reach an ATP Masters 1000 QF, along with Wayne Arthurs (Cincinnati 2002) and Matthew Ebden (Shanghai 2018). Spring.#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/ERZiYFTxyk
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 31, 2024
This week’s most outstanding performers include…
Alex de Minaur: Revenge over his US Open quarterfinal conqueror, Jack Draper, booked his last-eight berth in the final Masters 1000 event of the season where he succumbed to a former champion, 13th seed Holger Rune. De Minaur’s three main draw wins and Andrey Rublev’s early departure allowed the Australian to move ahead of him into eighth in the Race to Turin.
Alexei Popyrin: The 25-year-old enhanced his reputation for big-name upsets after he felled fourth seed Daniil Medvedev to reach the round of 16 at the Paris Masters. The three-set victory marked his fifth from his past six matches against top-10 opponents and the 11th of his career.
Thanasi Kokkinakis: In a showdown between the top two seeds, the 28-year-old denied Rinky Hijikata for his seventh ATP Challenger title – his first on home soil – in Sydney. The second seed did not drop a set in five matches and avenged a defeat to Hijikata in the opening round in Brisbane in January.
Emerson Jones: The 16-year-old’s star has risen further after…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis.com.au – Tennis Australia…