Second round: Hijikata stuns Djokovic

A day of firsts and smiles

We had last seen Novak Djokovic building momentum. After defeating Valentin Vacherot in three sets the previous day, he had finished strongly, dropping just one game to the Monegasque in the deciding set. The seven-time champion started his second-round match against Rinky Hijikata with the same rhythm and intensity, breaking twice in the opening set, helped by errors from an opponent making his first appearance at the Paris Masters 1000.

But after around an hour of play, the Serbian began to lose his way and the Australian seized his opportunity. At 4-3 in the second set, he converted his third break point with a winner before serving out the set to love. Having lost both of his previous meetings with the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Hijikata was beginning to sense an upset for the first time.

Solid on serve in the deciding set, saving 100% of the break points he faced, the qualifier was equally sharp at the net (7/8), disrupting the most decorated player in the draw and claiming one of the biggest wins of his career. A fitting conclusion to one of his most successful seasons.

“This is the biggest win of my career, probably against the greatest player of all time. I’m really happy with the way I fought today,” he told Eurosport. “To be honest, I’m not really sure how I managed to turn the match around. I just tried to keep fighting as hard as I could, and eventually it paid off.”

As for Novak Djokovic, he had not lost in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters since 2012, and his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin are now hanging by a thread.

Another smile lighting up the Plenitude Arena on Wednesday was that of Ignacio Buse. A convincing winner over Zizou Bergs in the first round, the Peruvian also claimed the biggest victory of his career by defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 39 minutes.

After missing several opportunities, Buse broke at the perfect moment in the opening set to take it 6-4 after 46 minutes.

That lead, and the confidence that came with it, helped him fight back to 4-4 in the second set after the 2020 champion had secured his only break of the match at 3-2, converting one of his six opportunities. Particularly solid in the closing stages, Buse won the final three games of the match, dropping just three points along the way, to claim his first-ever victory over a Top 10 player.

“It’s so special for me to be here. I feel really good on these courts and increasingly comfortable indoors,” he said with a smile after the match. “I played really well today. It’s the biggest win of my career and I’m really happy with myself and with my performance. It just makes me want to keep going!”

For the first time in his career, Buse is through to the round of 16 at a Masters 1000.

Etcheverry back to winning ways

Having lost his opening match at each of his last five tournaments, Tomas Martin Etcheverry had not won since reaching the round of 16 at the US Open in September. Looking for a much-needed victory to rebuild his confidence, the Argentine delivered in style on Wednesday by defeating Alex de Minaur (No.8).

After an exchange of breaks midway through the opening set, Etcheverry saved two set points before taking the tie-break on his first opportunity. Playing with renewed confidence, he carried the same momentum into the second set, setting a relentless pace that even “Demon” struggled to match.

Perhaps still feeling the physical effects of his run to the Vienna final just a few days ago, and with uncertainty surrounding his qualification for the ATP Finals, De Minaur began to lose momentum and committed a series of uncharacteristic errors, including a double fault that handed his opponent the break at 3-2.

A quarterfinalist in each of the last three editions, the Australian saved one match point before eventually falling after 1 hour and 59 minutes (7-6(2), 6-3).