COLOGNE: Dennis Novak reached his first ATP tour quarterfinal by beating fourth-seeded Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday at the Cologne Indoors.

Paire struggled with his serve, landing just 46 percent of first serves and double-faulting four times in the second-round match. Paire, who had a first-round bye in Cologne, is 1-5 since the tour resumed amid the pandemic and had to withdraw from the US Open when he tested positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Novak takes on either eighth-seeded Marin Cilic or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals.

Sixth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz won 6-4, 6-3 in the second round against Mischa Zverev, the older brother of top-seeded Alexander Zverev. Hurkacz will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Gilles Simon in the quarter-finals.

Lloyd Harris of South Africa knocked out American player Steve Johnson 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2) to reach the quarters. Harris will play either Alexander Zverev or Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco. Radu Albot of Moldova won 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 against German qualifier Oscar Otte.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2020