The four quarterfinal matches at the Paris Masters were fiercely contested, each player fighting hard for their own "sacred" reasons. Here's how it turned out:

In the first match, Aliassime (9) swept the tournament dark horse Vachero 6-2, 6-2. The younger cousin’s performance was subpar in this duel, struggling to counter Aliassime’s fierce offense. He frequently misjudged Aliassime’s shot selection.

Aliassime truly played at a high level. He is aiming to secure his second qualification for the year-end finals. The latest Turin race rankings show Aliassime is only 90 points behind Musetti, who currently holds the eighth spot.

In the second match, Bublik (13) defeated Deminor (6) 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5. This result aligned with pre-match expectations, not based on skill but on human nature analysis. Deminor recently confirmed his spot at the year-end finals; for him, winning would be a bonus, losing would mean resting early to prepare for the finals. For Bublik, “I’ve come this far, no reason not to fight!” As he said, he still has a chance to qualify for the year-end finals. According to the current Turin rankings, Bublik has surpassed Ruud and Medvedev. This position could at least secure a bench spot.

In the third match, Sinner beat Shelton 6-3, 6-3. I didn’t watch the match and have little to comment on. Maybe Shelton was too aggressive? The result is normal, though the scoreline is a bit surprising—Sinner won too easily.

In the fourth match, Zverev defeated Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). This victory ended Zverev’s five-match losing streak against Medvedev. Before this match, in their nine encounters, Zverev had only won once.

Before Zverev’s injury in the 2022 French Open semifinals, their head-to-head was 6-6. Since his official return in 2023, Zverev has been at a disadvantage. Therefore, this win is very meaningful to him. It’s no surprise he deliberately struck a pose lying on the court to celebrate after the match.

Hopefully, Zverev will soon overcome his losing streak against Fritz as well.

From Medvedev’s perspective, this loss came at a very unfortunate time. Although he doesn’t have high hopes for qualifying for the year-end finals, holding onto a slim chance is better than giving up completely. Of course, I still prefer the current outcome.

Semifinal Schedule

In the top half of the semifinals, Bublik faces Aliassime. This is likely the first time either has reached the semifinals of this event.

In the bottom half, Zverev plays against Sinner. Zverev is the defending champion, while Sinner’s best Paris Masters result was reaching the round of 16 in 2023.

However, this schedule is quite unfriendly for us Chinese fans. I definitely won’t watch the Zverev vs. Sinner match. Hopefully, when I wake up tomorrow morning, there will be an unexpected result. You know what I mean. [smirk]

Aliassime and Bublik have a head-to-head record of 3-2. Their most recent meeting was in the first round of this year’s Dubai 500, where Aliassime won 7-6(7), 6-7(4), 6-3 against Bublik.

Aliassime has been in good form recently, and Bublik is also performing well. The former has already won three titles this season, while the latter has claimed four. On the Turin rankings, they are separated by 725 points, so the outcome won’t affect their ranking order.

If Aliassime wins, his Turin points will surpass Musetti, taking over the eighth spot. If he then wins the title, he will secure the last spot for the 2025 ATP Finals.

If Bublik wins, his ATP ranking will reach a career-high, moving up to 10th on the Turin leaderboard, essentially securing a reserve spot for the Finals. Getting paid to sit on the bench isn’t bad either. If he gets a chance to substitute in, that would be an honor. Plus, if he reaches the final to face Sinner or Zverev, and if it’s Zverev, he could even win the title. He doesn’t have a Masters-level title yet, so winning one would be something to brag about to Kyrgios, right?

Bublik’s technique is solid; he’s a player with both talent and passion. With such a player, anything is possible regardless of the opponent!

Waiting for a miracle to happen!

[Look at me][Look at me][Give myself a flower][Give myself a flower]

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