Jannik Sinner eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 at the Paris Masters on Thursday to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round.

A maiden crown in the French capital will return Sinner to number one in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain's Cameron Norrie.

The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the season.

"Today I felt like the first set was very crucial. Francisco is a very talented player, it's very difficult to play against him because his level is very high," Sinner said on-court.

"In the second set I raised the level... and I'm very happy to be in the quarter-finals here for the first time."Sinner edged a close first set, which featured four consecutive breaks, when he pounced on 21st-ranked Argentinian Cerundolo's serve at 6-5 to seize the initiative.

The 24-year-old then immediately stepped it up in the second set, racing into a 5-1 lead before serving out to book a meeting with US fifth seed Shelton in Friday's quarter-finals.

Source:Ndtv