(Reuters) - Second seed Alexander Zverev eased past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-1 to reach the China Open quarter-finals on Thursday, while Stefanos Tsitsipas ended Nikoloz Basilashvili's hopes of retaining the Beijing title.
Zverev has struggled with his serve for most of the season but looked in complete control against Canadian Auger-Aliassime, winning 25 of his 27 first-serve points.
The 22-year-old German did not face a single break point as he booked a quarter-final spot clash against American Sam Querrey.
The victory ensured Zverev moved up to 10th in the race for the season-ending ATP Finals in London -- two places away from the eighth and final qualification spot.
Greek Tsitsipas became the fifth player to record 40 Tour-level match wins this season with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Basilashvili.
It was not until the deep into the second set that Tsitsipas finally made the breakthrough on his 12th break point when his Georgian opponent, who struck five double faults in the game, hit a forehand wide.
The 21-year-old Tsitsipas carried the momentum into the final set where he claimed a decisive break of serve in the seventh game to seal victory in a little over two hours.
Basilashvili, who successfully defended his clay court title in Hamburg in July, failed to extend his six-match winning streak in Beijing as he committed 32 unforced errors across the second and third sets.
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)