Andy Roddick sees off Ernests Gulbis in Paris, closes in on ATP finals

American Andy Roddick took a big step towards the season-ending ATP finals when he beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-3 7-6 to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday.   

The result meant that Austrian Juergen Melzer, who could only have booked a place in the London showdown if he won the title and Roddick failed to progress beyond the third round, is out of the race.       

Only Spain's Fernando Verdasco still has an outside chance of denying eight-seed Roddick his place in London.   

Roddick got off to a flying start, opening a 2-0 lead and comfortably holding serve to bag the first set.

Gulbis proved more consistent in the second set but bowed out when he netted a routine forehand to lose the tiebreak 10-8 after saving three match points.                                          

Roddick next faces either Swede Robin Soderling, the fourth seed, or Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.