Nadal marks No 1 ranking with win at Paris Masters
Rafael Nadal marked his end-of-the-year top ranking by progressing to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters on Thursday.
The Spaniard will end the year as the world’s No 1, and celebrated the feat by fighting his way past Uruguay’s world No 36 Pablo Cuevas, winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in a match lasting two hours and 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, Juan Martin Del Potro continued his quest to reach the final as he secured a 7-5, 6-4 win over Dutchman Robin Haase.
Del Potro’s latest win takes him up to 10th place in the standings and just one more win away from moving ahead of Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who currently occupies the last qualification berth.
Del Potro will next face John Isner, who beat sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov 7-6, 5-7, 7-6. There were also wins for Fernando Verdasco and qualifier Filip Krajinovic.
In the last match to finish, Croatia’s Marin Cilic beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6, 6-2.
Belgium’s David Goffin sealed his place in the season-ending ATP World Tour finals despite crashing to a 6-3 6-3 defeat against French wild card Julien Benneteau.
Jack Sock’s 7-6, 6-3 victory over Lucas Pouille means the Frenchman can no longer catch Goffin, who therefore becomes the seventh player to guarantee his place in the Finals.
Photo credit: skysports.com
