Jan-Lennard Struff Outlasts Tirante, Faces Ruud in Paris

Jan-Lennard Struff did it the hard way again, outlasting lucky loser Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Wednesday to reach the round of 16 at the Paris Masters. It took 2 hours, 23 minutes and his second match point, and the 36-year-old German called it a brutal fight afterward, per tennisnet.

It's the latest chapter in a seriously fun fall for Struff. He's now the only German left in the draw after world No. 1 Alexander Zverev lost to Lorenzo Musetti, and he's into a Thursday round of 16 match with Casper Ruud. He'd gone out at this stage in Paris in 2016 and 2019.

How Struff Survived Tirante

This was a serving battle with almost nothing between them. Tirante, ranked 53rd, hit 19 aces to Struff's 15 and took the opening set in a tiebreak. Struff kept piling up break chances but couldn't cash in. Tirante saved 10 of the 13 break points he faced.

What kept Struff alive was his first serve. He won 87% of his first-serve points (65 of 75), per Tennis.com's match stats, and that's what carried him through the second set and into a final tiebreak, where he pulled away 7-3. These two met just over a month ago in the first round in Beijing, and Struff won that one 6-1, 6-4. This one was a lot more stressful.

A Hot Fall for the Veteran

Struff has been one of the stories of the indoor swing. In Brussels, he beat top-10 player Arthur Fils in three sets on his way to the final. A week later in Basel, he took down Novak Djokovic in a thriller. He lost both the Brussels final and the Basel semifinal in deciding sets, so he's been right there, again and again.

That kind of run at 36 doesn't happen by accident. He's serving big, he's competing in every long set, and the tiebreaks are finally breaking his way in Paris.

Next Up: Casper Ruud

Ruud reached the round of 16 by beating Spain's Rafael Jodar 6-3, 6-4, and Struff's first serve will have to carry him again. Their match is scheduled for Thursday on Court 1, set for 8 a.m. PT. The winner gets a quarterfinal spot in a draw that's already lost Zverev, Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Struff's aces against Ruud. He hit 15 against Tirante and won 87% of his first-serve points.