First round: Turin in sight

The king returns

Back at the Rolex Paris Masters for the first time since his last title in 2023, Novak Djokovic (No.10) had to dig deep to overcome Valentin Vacherot (6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1 in 2 hours and 35 minutes).

After a closely contested opening set, in which neither player dropped serve, the Monegasque converted his fourth set point to take the tie-break 7-6(5) after 50 minutes, much to the delight of a Centre Court crowd thoroughly enjoying the contest.

Broken at the start of the second set, the only time he dropped serve despite facing seven break points, the seven-time Paris champion refused to let go, despite the power of his opponent’s serve, which produced 22 aces. Less effective than usual behind his first serve, Novak Djokovic managed to draw level, saving three further break points along the way, before making his move at 6-5. From that point on, he never relinquished his grip on the match.

With a double-break advantage in the deciding set, he eventually sealed victory on his second match point.

“Maybe it was my love for this tournament that gave me the strength and motivation to produce a performance like this,” he tried to explain in French in his interview with Eurosport. “Before I stepped onto the court, I knew it was going to be very difficult because Valentin won in Basel two days ago and he’s playing at a very high level. His serve was also incredible: for a set and a half, it was impossible to break him. He put me under a lot of pressure. I had to wait until the third set to really find my rhythm and start reading his serve properly.”

With his first win in Paris in nearly three years, the 24-time Grand Slam champion remains in contention for the ATP Finals, which will take place in Turin from November 15 to 22.

A place also coveted by Tommy Paul (No.12), currently 13th in the Race. More precise on serve, the American claimed the opening set on his fourth set point. Although he showed a few signs of nerves in the second, failing to serve out the match at the first attempt, his double-break advantage gave him a second chance. This time he made no mistake, converting his fifth match point to seal victory (7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour and 20 minutes).

“I’m trying not to think about it too much or look at the rankings too closely,” he explained when asked about his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals. “I was focused on today’s match. I’m not even sure who I’m playing tomorrow, so we’ll see. One day at a time!”

Another player chasing one of those eight coveted spots, Taylor Fritz (No.11), needed some time to settle before getting the better of Benjamin Bonzi. The French qualifier came flying out of the blocks, quickly moving 4-1 ahead before taking the opening set 6-3.

But the 2024 US Open and ATP Finals runner-up quickly stepped up a gear, taking the next two sets to book a second-round meeting with Alex Molcan (3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 41 minutes).

The hopes are over, however, for Jiri Lehecka. Despite taking the opening set against Alex Michelsen, the Czech lacked precision and was unable to make the most of his opportunities, failing to convert a break point in the second set and not creating a single one in the third. The American converted his first set point with a love game, then sealed victory with an ace on his first match point (6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours and 17 minutes).

It marks Michelsen’s second victory at the Rolex Paris Masters. As in 2024, he will contest the second round, where Carlos Alcaraz awaits.

Finally, the second day of action ended with Jan-Lennard Struff getting the better of one of the revelations of the latter part of the season. After an impressive run at the US Open, Arthur Gea was unable to upset the special exempt, falling 7-6(3), 6-3 in 1 hour and 15 minutes.