Novak Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal’s all-time record by reaching his 17th French Open quarter-final.
The 22-time grand slam champion defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 to maintain his run of not having lost before the last eight at Roland Garros since 2010 and set up a clash with 11th seed Karen Khachanov.
Djokovic is still 12 Paris titles behind Nadal though, and, with the Spaniard missing for the first time since 2004, his great rival knows what an opportunity this is.
He said: “I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match. Obviously quarter-finals, Khachanov, I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay mentally the course and of course not look too far.
“Obviously the performance of today gives me a great deal of confidence about how I felt, about how I played. So I’m looking forward to the next match.”
Peruvian Varillas, ranked 94, has enjoyed the best week of his career but he had needed five sets to get through all three of his previous matches and was unable to trouble Djokovic.
The third seed had been pushed extremely hard by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his previous match and struggled physically, so this was a very welcome easy afternoon.
Djokovic raced into a 4-0 lead and the only time he looked in any discomfort was when Varillas won two games in a row and forced a break point in the next one.
The third seed, who criticised the crowd for booing while he took a medical time-out in his previous match, was again jeered for his reaction and cupped his hand to his ear after winning the next-but-one point.
There were plenty of cheers at the end, though, as Djokovic wrapped up the victory after an hour and 57 minutes.
He said of the crowd: “I thought they were great, especially at the end. They gave me a very nice chanting and support and, as a player, you always want to receive that love from the crowd.”
A semi-final blockbuster against Carlos Alcaraz is looming ever closer, and the Spaniard continued to look every inch a potential champion in a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over Lorenzo Musetti.
The 21-year-old Italian is a big talent, especially on clay, and this was a crowd-pleasing encounter, with Alcaraz pulling off several shots through his legs.
Ultimately it was a straightforward win, though, as world number one Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open through injury, stayed on track for a second successive grand slam title.
Khachanov is bidding to reach the semi-finals at a third straight major tournament and he recovered from a poor first set to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7) 6-1.
ATP Finals: Zverev targets 10 more years at the top after Ruud win
Alexander Zverev outlined his plan to stay at the top of the game for another decade after overcoming Casper Ruud in his second match at the ATP Finals.
Having started his campaign at the season finale in Turin by downing Andrey Rublev, Zverev made it two wins from as many matches with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over the Norwegian.
He needed just 86 minutes to wrap up his victory, hitting 28 winners to his opponent's 13 in a confident, powerful performance.
Zverev is appearing at the ATP Finals for a seventh time, and another victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Friday would secure his spot in the semi-finals.
The German has won the event on two previous occasions, beating Novak Djokovic in the 2018 showpiece and overcoming Daniil Medvedev in 2021.
Asked what his experience at the ATP Finals meant for his chances of success, he joked: "It means I'm old! But I still don’t feel old.
"I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys.
"There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it's a good thing. They're exciting new players and everybody loves watching them."
Data Debrief: ATP Finals specialist marches on
Since the ATP Finals moved to Turin for the 2021 event, Zverev's eight victories at the competition have only been bettered by Djokovic's 12.
Meanwhile, the German has also managed more ATP Tour-level wins this year than any other player, with Wednesday's success his 68th of 2024.
ATP Finals: Alcaraz 'surprised' himself with battling Rublev victory
Carlos Alcaraz surprised himself with the level of performance he was able to produce in his win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
Alcaraz emerged a 6-3 7-6 (10-8) victor against the Russian in his second match of the tournament, keeping his hopes of advancing to the next round in Turin alive.
The Spaniard fell to defeat in his opening game against Casper Ruud, citing a stomach issue that left him feeling unwell before and during that match.
But the world number three looked back to his brilliant best against Rublev, claiming the first set in 37 minutes before edging a thrilling tie-break in the second.
"Yes, I surprised myself a lot," Alcaraz said shortly after the victory.
"The way I played today from the baseline, I was really calm and tried to just focus on my game and what I had to do - forget that I'm not really feeling well.
"Once you step on the court, you have to forget everything you're struggling with outside the court."
Alcaraz, though, said he was still not feeling 100% ahead of facing Alexander Zverev, who is in action against Ruud later on Tuesday.
It will be the pair's first meeting since the Spaniard's triumph in the French Open final in June, but Zverev has not let that defeat ruin a fine season.
His own opening win over Rublev was his ATP Tour-leading 67th win of the campaign, with only Jannik Sinner matching the German for victories this year.
"I could be better, healthier. I'm just trying to step on the court and play good tennis, try not to think about my issues right now," Alcaraz said.
"I've been struggling the last week and that's going to be the case over the next day too, for sure.
"Zverev is playing great tennis. He is one of the toughest players in the world right now, that's for sure.
"I will try to play good tennis and enjoy the same way I did today. Then let's see."
ATP Finals: Alcaraz overcomes illness to edge Rublev in Turin
Carlos Alcaraz overcame his recent illness to keep his hopes of progressing at the ATP Finals alive with a straight-sets triumph over Andrey Rublev on Tuesday.
Alcaraz had complained about feeling unwell in his defeat to Casper Ruud, but returned to winning ways with a 6-3 7-6 (10-8) victory in 96 minutes against his Russian opponent.
The Spaniard, sporting a pink nasal strip to aid his breathing, exchanged blows with Rublev early on but was able to take control of the encounter after the fifth game.
Alcaraz reeled off four consecutive games from 3-2 down to seal the opening set, closing in on a second consecutive win against Rublev at the year-end tournament in Turin.
The enthralling affair continued to produce some sensational tennis, most notably when Alcaraz brilliantly turned defence into attack during a long rally in the third game.
The four-time grand slam champion later kept his cool in the second-set tie-break, saving two set points before closing out the win to kickstart his campaign.
Alcaraz now sits at the top of the John Newcombe Group ahead of Alexander Zverev's meeting with Ruud later on Tuesday, with the German up next for the world number three.
Data Debrief: Winning the best medicine
After a rocky start to his ATP Finals campaign, Alcaraz's latest showing confirmed that, despite not feeling at his best, he can still pose a threat at the tournament.
The Spaniard struck 31 winners compared to Rublev's 14, but did match his opponent for unforced errors during the contest (20 each).
But it was another victory on a favoured surface for the world number three. Since the ATP rankings were first published in 1973, Alcaraz (21 years and 192 days) is the second-youngest player to claim 20 top-10 wins on hard courts, older only than Lleyton Hewitt.
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