Juan Martin del Potro moved closer to a spot at the ATP finals by beating Robin Haase 7-5, 6-4 Thursday in the third round of the Paris Masters.
Del Potro, who lost to Roger Federer on Sunday in the Swiss Indoors final, is in 10th place in the race to qualify for the season-ending tournament. Only the top eight players will compete in London.
"It's extra motivation," Del Potro said. "I would love to reach London once again. It could be a fantastic moment for me."
Del Potro will face either sixth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov or ninth-seeded John Isner in the quarterfinals.
Also, Dominic Thiem lost early again, this time falling to Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4.
Since losing to Del Potro in five sets in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, the fifth-seeded Austrian has won only two matches in five tournaments.
Verdasco will next face either Jack Sock or Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinals.
