Nadal eases past Wawrinka as Djokovic sets up Tsitsipas clash

PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic continued their battle for the year-end world number one ranking on Thursday as both players reached the Paris Masters quarter-finals with wins over Stan Wawrinka and Kyle Edmund respectively.

The 33-year-old Nadal is already guaranteed to usurp Djokovic at the rankings summit next week, but winning a maiden Bercy title would also secure the year-end top spot before next month´s ATP Tour Finals in London.

He produced an impressive display to take his career head-to-head record against three-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka to 19-3 with a clinical 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Djokovic had earlier booked his last-eight place with a 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 win over Britain´s Edmund.

Nadal has never won the Paris Masters or the ATP Finals and only two of his 84 titles have come indoors.

"That´s the beautiful thing about this sport, (to) have the capacity to adapt yourself to the different conditions," said the 12-time French Open winner, who called the doctor onto the court in the second set to help deal with a stomach problem.

Nadal will face 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals after the French wildcard saved two match points to edge out Germany´s Jan-Lennard Struff 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8/6).

"I have a match against a player that is playing well," said Nadal.

"I need to do a lot of things well, but I hope to be ready to make that happen."

Nadal took the first set thanks to a single break of serve in game three, saving break points in the second and eighth games himself before serving it out in style.

Wawrinka´s backhand started to fire at the start of the second set, but Nadal kept the Swiss at bay, helped by one incredible forehand winner to direct a smash from his opponent into the corner of the court.

The 19-time Grand Slam champion saw off Wawrinka´s challenge with a break to lead 5-4 in the second set and served out the match to make it his seventh Paris Masters quarter-final in as many appearances.

- Djokovic to face Tsitsipas -

Top seed Djokovic needed seven set points in the first set before beating Edmund with relative comfort by racing through the second to make his eighth quarter-final in the tournament.

"I was feeling energy-wise better and felt more alert, just more strength, more energy, more speed," said the 32-year-old, who has been struggling with illness this week.

The 16-time Grand Slam title-winner is chasing a record-extending fifth Bercy crown and will next face world number seven Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.

The 21-year-old Tsitsipas leads his head-to-head with Djokovic 2-1, after victories at the Shanghai Masters earlier this month and the 2018 Canadian Open.

"He (Tsitsipas) is one of the best players in the world," said Djokovic. "He´s already (an) established player."

Djokovic is hoping to tie Pete Sampras´ record of finishing six years as the world´s best player, while Nadal is looking to achieve the feat for a fifth time.

- Dimitrov downs Thiem -

Former world number three Grigor Dimitrov produced a fantastic performance to beat fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-2 and reach the last eight in Paris for the first time.

Dimitrov was the world number 78 heading into the US Open, but reached the semi-finals and is now ranked 27th.

The 28-year-old will take on Cristian Garin for a semi-final spot, after the unseeded Chilean saved three match points in a deciding-set tie-break to end the run of French qualifier Jeremy Chardy with a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) success.

Greek star Tsitsipas, who has reached at least the semis in each of his last three tournaments, eased past De Minaur, ending the Australian´s hopes of qualifying for the Tour Finals.

Gael Monfils, who is chasing a spot at the ATP Finals, takes on Moldova´s Radu Albot in Thursday´s final match, with the winner to face Denis Shapovalov, after the Canadian youngster beat sixth seed Alexander Zverev for the first time -- 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.