Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer reached the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday as the last-eight line-up mirrored the same men heading to London next week for the World Tour Finals.
World number one Nadal made the ATP points system look true to form after his 7-5, 6-4 victory over last year's runner-up Jerzy Janowicz completed the line-up in the last match of the day.
The Spaniard, who is also looking for a record sixth Masters title in the same season, joins Djokovic, David Ferrer, Juan Martin Del Potro, Tomas Berdych, Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet in the Paris quarter-finals and in the London shake-up.
Wawrinka and Gasquet claimed the final two World Tour Finals places after Canadian Milos Raonic saw his chances go up in smoke in a tough defeat at the hands of Berdych.
Nadal endured a ferocious serving onslaught from Wimbledon semi-finalist Janowicz before finally taming the 22-year-old, who was trying to become the first Polish player since Wojtek Fibak in 1980 to break into the year-ending top 20.
A first set of the highest quality swung at 5-5 with Janowicz serving and a game of numerous deuces that finally went Nadal's way for the first break of the match.
The Mallorca left-hander then held to close out the set after solving the Pole's thunderbolt serve and paving the way for a straight sets victory.
"It was very difficult to deal with his serve but I was able to get the win and I'm very, very happy," said Nadal, the French Open and US Open champion, who will tackle Gasquet for a semi-final spot.
"Tomorrow, I'm playing against my friend (Gasquet) and it's going to be a great match but I'm really happy for him that he made it to the World Tour Finals," said Nadal, whose best performance at the Paris Masters was losing the 2007 final against Argentina's David Nalbandian.
Second seed Djokovic overcame American John Isner 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-2 while Federer, the fifth seed, outclassed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, 6-3, 6-4.
