The shiniest stars will come out today at the Paris Masters when Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will all be in action - but Tuesday belonged to Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro and Novak Djokovic as they raced into the last 16.
Nadal - who has the Shanghai Masters and also the Davis Cup final to preoccupy him - will meet Frenchman Florent Serra, who took just five games off the world No 1 across two previous meetings, both this year, before Federer takes on newly-crowned Lyon winner Robin Soderling of Sweden.
Federer holds a 7-0 lifetime record against the Scandinavian.
Murray will then bring the curtain down in the evening against American Sam Querrey.
Paris holds out the chance for three players to join Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai - and Roddick made sure he stayed on his game to see off Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 6-4.
Earlier, rising Argentine star Juan Martin Del Potro, winner of four titles this season, had gone provisionally level on points with the American by thumping Croatian Mario Ancic 6-0, 6-4 to reach the last 16.
Del Potro, on course for a quarter-final against Murray, said he had to admit Shanghai was on his mind - as well as a Davis Cup final against Nadal's Spaniards.
"I always wake up thinking of Shanghai, Davis Cup or something. But it's good - I have the motivation to play," smiled Del Potro after crushing Ancic in impressive fashion to earn a meeting either with eighth-seeded Davis Cup teammmate David Nalbandian or German veteran Nicolas Kiefer.
Roddick, in contrast, said he would not talk about China, insisting it would be "cocky and arrogant" to do so until he is definitely into the eight-man field.
"When I'm actually in the field then I think it's relevant to talk about my plans for Shanghai," said the 26-year-old.
Roddick, winner in San Jose and Dubai this season for a career total of 25 tournaments, will next take on either eighth-ranked Frenchman Gilles Simon or Russian Igor Andreev, who had four match points against eventual finalist Simon in Madrid two weeks ago.
Third-ranked Djokovic ousted Russia's Dmitry Tursunov 6-2, 4-3 when the latter retired through injury after treatment to his right shoulder while Gael Monfils cheered the home fans, ousting Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco, conqueror of Marat Safin, 6-4, 6-4.
Monfils will have the crowd behind him, but the formbook very much against him, in the next round as he is scheduled to meet Nadal, assuming the Mallorcan ousts Serra first.
Asked if he had the weapons in his armoury to beat Nadal, the 22-year-old Monfils, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros in June, grimaced and noted: "Not too sure about that!"
(AFP via China Daily October 30, 2008)