In the second set, Dimitrov attempted to put up more of a fight, using his low slices to force the tall Russian into uncomfortable positions and take away his power. However, a costly double fault and a few unforced errors costed the Bulgarian the break at 3-3, and Khachanov rolled from there, breaking Dimitrov once again to claim the second set 6-3.

Overall, Khachanov did not face a single break point in the entire match, and it was Dimitrov’s lack of effectiveness in second serve points won – just 23 percent – that stood in stark comparison to the Russian – who was at an impressive 64 percent.

Khachanov: “big credit to him for finishing the match”

Speaking after the win, the victor said:

“I started really strong, sharp from the baseline game. I tried to put pressure from the beginning, actually, I was able to break him in the first game, and I noticed he was not feeling ok, not 100 percent. He went to play, and I respect that, so big credit to him for finishing the match.”

“He was competing, so I was thinking ‘ok, well, he’s competing, so I need to try my best’, he was still trying hard, and I am happy that I got through.”

Khachanov, ranked No 21, will play Frenchman Ugo Humbert, the No 15 seed, next.

In the previous rounds of the Paris-Bercy tournament, the Russian beat Australian lucky loser Christopher O’Connell (6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6)), French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (6-7 (12), 6-1, 6-4) and Australian Alexei Popyrin (7-6 (5), 6-4).

Dimitrov, ranked No 9, edged out Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry (6-7 (9), 6-3, 7-5) and French wildcard Arthur Rinderknech (6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5)) earlier in the tournament.

Paris Masters 1000, other last eight results (Accor Arena, hard, EUR 5.950.575, most recent results first):

• Ugo Humbert beat Jordan Thompson: 6-2, 7-6 (4)
• Holger Rune (13) beat Alex De Minaur (9): 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
• Alexander Zverev (3) beat Stefanos Tsitsipas (10): 7-5, 6-4