Alexander Zverev ends Stefanos Tsitsipas' hopes of reaching ATP Finals

German third seed Alexander Zverev knocked Greek tenth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas out of the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals on Friday, ending the 2019 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Finals champion's hopes of qualifying for this year's season-ending tournament in Turin, Italy.

While the opening set was a tight affair, the second was mostly one-way traffic, as World No. 3 Zverev built a 5-3 lead before wrapping up the victory in one hour and 40 minutes.

Zverev served well against Tsitsipas, especially in the second set, landing nine aces and winning 71 percent of his first serves in the contest.

"I thought the whole match was a very good level from him," Zverev said. "I got into the match and I found my rhythm, and felt more and more comfortable, and am happy with the win."

The 27-year-old, who secured his sixth victory over World No. 11 Tsitsipas, joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only active players to reach 20 or more Masters 1000 semifinals.

For former World No. 3 Tsitsipas, the defeat means his run of five straight ATP Finals appearances is over.

Zverev will face 2022 Paris Masters champion Holger Rune in the semifinals, after the Dane overcame Alex de Minaur of Australia 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. With the win, 13th seed Rune kept alive his slim hopes of qualifying for Turin.

Local favorite Ugo Humbert continued his fine form, with the Frenchman following up his stunning upset against second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the previous round by securing a 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Jordan Thompson of Australia in the quarterfinals.

Humbert will face Karen Khachanov for a place in the title match, after the 2018 champion from Russia made light work of eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, winning 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals in just over an hour.