Paris Masters: Dan Evans loses to Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe beats Jack Draper
Britain’s Dan Evans loses to world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Paris Masters, while compatriot Jack Draper is beaten by American Frances Tiafoe.
Britain’s Dan Evans loses to world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Paris Masters, while compatriot Jack Draper is beaten by American Frances Tiafoe.
When Tommy Paul played Rafael Nadal earlier this year in Acapulco, it was the first time he had faced a member of the legendary ‘Big Three’. In what seemed like a flash, the American trailed 0-6.
“I was so nervous [in] the first set. I lost the first set 6-0 and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m going to get a game’,” Paul, who eventually lost 0-6, 6-7(5), told ATPTour.com. “I ended up starting [to] play really, really good tennis. He’s fun to play against.”
Not many players describe facing Nadal, one of the toughest competitors in the history of sport, as “fun”. But the 25-year-old is no stranger to standing across the net from the Spaniard.
“I practised with him actually three days ago,” Paul said. “I practise with him quite a bit, so it should be a fun match.”
The pair will clash for the second time on Wednesday evening in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters. It will be Nadal’s first singles match since the US Open. Although Paul trained with the 36-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist in the leadup to the tournament, he knows a match will be different.
“Practising with him is super different because he hits a lot harder in practice. He really hits through the court and then in matches the balls just jump a lot more. He hits slower, but heavier. It’s different,” Paul said. “Obviously he uses his lefty spin to his advantage as much as he can and everyone knows he’s Rafa, he’s not ever going to give up even if he looks like he’s out of the match, so that’s always tricky. It should be fun playing him.”
Nadal is not the first Grand Slam champion Paul has played in Paris. Two years ago, he lost a tough three-setter to Stan Wawrinka in the second round.
“If you don’t live for those moments, you probably shouldn’t even be playing tennis. That’s what all of us wanted to do when we were young: play on big courts against the best players,” Paul said. “I played Wawrinka here on Stadium, but it was during 2020 so we had zero people here, it was super weird. So I’m pumped to play in front of a full crowd.
“From what I saw with [Andy] Murray’s [match against Gilles Simon], it looked like they were pretty into it here, so it should be fun.”
This has been the best season of Paul’s career. In September, he climbed to a career-high No. 28 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The American has also claimed three of his five Top 10 wins. Paul will take confidence into his Nadal match after defeating another Spaniard, Roberto Bautista Agut, for the first time.
“This year it’s been a little more difficult [physically] because I played a full season for the first time,” Paul said. “The body’s tired, but I played really well today and obviously it’s not going to be hard to get excited to play tomorrow, so hopefully we can ride it out this week.”
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In a memorable tournament debut, Holger Rune saved three match points — two in the second set and another in the third — in a comeback win against Stan Wawrinka to close Tuesday’s play at the Rolex Paris Masters. In a two-hour, 30-minute contest that finished after midnight on Court 1, the Dane battled back for a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) victory to continue his blistering form on the ATP Tour.
A finalist in three of his past four events, including a title run in Stockholm, Rune has now won 14 of his past 16 matches. It’s a stretch that earned him his debut in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, as he began this week as the World No. 18.
Rune lost the opening set against Wawrinka on a late break, and the Swiss again threatened a decisive closing blow at 5-4 in the second. But Rune saved two match points to start a run of three straight games and force a decider. There was just one break point on offer in the final set, and it doubled as a match point with Rune serving to stay alive at 5-6.
The 19-year-old stood firm to hold and won his final eight service points as he ran away with the tie-break. Through to the second round, he will face 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz on Wednesday. The Pole was a 7-6(5), 6-4 winner against French wild card Adrian Mannarino earlier on Tuesday.
Rune will conclude his breakout season next week at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
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With the defeat, Wawrinka’s 2022 ATP Tour season came to a heartbreaking close one week after a quarter-final run in Basel. The Swiss recorded an 8-14 tour-level record on the year but will be encouraged by his recent play after working his way back from left-foot surgery in 2021.
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini kept alive their bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals with an opening-round win on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters. The Italians earned a 7-6(5), 6-3 result against Santiago Gonzalez and Lukasz Kubot as they seek to improve upon their 10th-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.
Bolelli/Fognini will need to finish in the Top 7 to guarantee their place in Turin.
In the Paris opening round, the Italians twice battled back from a break down in the opening set before winning the tie-break from 2/4. A single break decided the second set, with the breakthrough coming in the sixth game before a pair of love holds from Bolelli/Fognini finished the match.
After winning the lone doubles match on Tuesday at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the pair will face Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop in the second round.
As Felix Auger-Aliassime closes on a maiden berth at the Nitto ATP Finals, the qualifying scenario for the Canadian in Paris this week is simple: Keep winning.
The 22-year-old has been doing a lot of that lately, amassing a 13-match win streaking that he will take into his second-round clash with Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer on Wednesday. Leading Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz in the battle to claim the last two spots in Turin, Felix is already highly likely to qualify, but he can make a certainty of it by going deeper in the draw than at least two of his rivals.
Four of the Top-5 seeds are also in action Wednesday, including World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal.
Felix, who boasts a 53-24 match record in 2022, has won four titles this season (Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp, Basel), all of which have come on indoor hard courts. The Montreal native collected a trio of titles before arriving at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris and now the eighth seed looks to continue his hot streak.
“For sure I didn’t expect this run [three straight titles],” Felix said. “Day-by-day, things clicked and I was playing better and better. Hopefully this run keeps going.
“I do enjoy these courts, playing indoors. I enjoy Paris. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to play well here.”
The Canadian, who is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, aims to strengthen his chances to make his debut at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals, held from 13-20 November.
Fritz, who is eighth in the Race, hopes to keep alive his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. The American will take on home favourite Gilles Simon, who rallied from a set down to defeat Andy Murray. The Frenchman, who reached a career-high No. 6 in January 2009 and claimed 14 Tour-level titles, is set to bid farewell to his career this week.
Alcaraz, who holds a season-leading five Tour-level titles, begins his quest for his third ATP Masters 1000 crown (Miami & Madrid 2022). The 19-year-old looks to continue his standout season as he takes on Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in a second-round clash.
“Since the end of the US Open, my goal has been to try and end the year as World No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “I have two big tournaments ahead, Paris and Turin. I’m going to try and show my best level.”
Nadal, who is competing in his first tournament since becoming a father, is seeking his first Rolex Paris Masters title. Should the 36-year-old be crowned champion, he will make up ground on countryman Alcaraz in the battle for year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard will kick off the Wednesday evening session against American Tommy Paul.
“I am excited to be here,” Nadal said. “I am here to try my best. Hopefully I will be ready for tomorrow [Wednesday], and I’m going to try to be competitive. Let’s see. I am excited about it.”
Other intriguing second-round matches Wednesday include Stefanos Tsitsipas taking on Daniel Evans, while 2020 Paris champion Daniil Medvedev meets Australian Alex de Minaur. 12th seed Cameron Norrie will close out the evening session on Court Central against French qualifier Corentin Moutet.
Playing for the first time since winning back-to-back indoor titles in early October, Novak Djokovic extended his win streak to 10 with a clinical victory against Maxime Cressy on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.
In a 7-6(1), 6-4 win against the Paris-born American, Djokovic was imperious on serve, which freed him up in his attempts to unlock Cressy’s booming delivery. The Serbian finally made his breakthrough on return to lead 5-4 in the second set as he converted on his fifth break point before serving out the match with ease.
“It was very intense, just a lot of pressure,” he said post-match. “When you play someone that serves this well — first and second serve — you don’t have much room to relax and maybe play kind of a softer few games. You just have to be on your toes all the time. Credit to him for serving big in some big moments. I had my chances [in the] first set to break him, second as well.
“A break came at the right time, perfect time actually. I was very pleased with the way I held my serve, didn’t face a break point,” he added, noting the fast conditions that made it even harder to return.
Cressy hung tough in the opening set, saving three break points with his all-out attack, but two double faults in the tie-break were more than enough for Djokovic to seal the set. The American hit 15 aces and 10 double faults overall as he remained committed to his aggressive game plan. While the strategy was effective on his own serve, he could not make inroads on Djokovic’s delivery, with the Serb losing just six points on serve and not facing a break point.
“I had to lock in, I had to not give him gifts and points,” Djokovic said. “What I could do and what I wanted to do is to really do what I do best, which is just be solid from the back of the court and wait for the opportunities when they are presented, try to capitalise on them… Just overall very pleased with the way I felt and the way I played.”
Despite many short points, the sixth seed was still able to flash his athleticism throughout the one-hour, 43-minute match — particularly on a backhand passing shot that helped him to the decisive break in set two, after which he basked in the adoration of the Paris crowd
The Serbian’s stellar returning was on full display against one of the ATP Tour’s biggest servers, his brilliance in that particular department illustrated by his INSIGHTS: Shot Quality score, which is measured on a 10-point scale.
Djokovic was full of praise for his opponent’s unique game following the match, and he described how Cressy’s serve-and-volley style affected his approach on return.
“It does change a lot because not only do you have to get the return back, but you hav to put it under his feet, which is very difficult to do,” he explained. “It’s nice to see someone that comes in after fist and second serve,” he said. “It just gives a different look from the tennis fans’ point of view. I appreciate that, I respect that. It takes courage to play with this modern tennis nowadays this kind of style that is almost an ancient style. You don’t have many players that do that. Possibly he’s the only one at the top.”
Djokovic has now won 24 straight matches against Americans and also owns a 10-match win streak in Paris dating back to his title runs in 2019 and 2021 (he did not play in 2020). He is seeking his fifth title of the season after triumphs at Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv and Astana, the latter two coming in consecutive weeks spanning from September to October.
Those results have helped the Serbian to qualify for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals later this month. He is one of six players already confirmed for Turin, joining Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev.
Did You Know?
Djokovic is the only player to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events, completing the Career Golden Masters twice on his way to a record 38 titles at the prestigious level.
Even after 21 years as a touring pro, Rafael Nadal still finds it difficult to leave his home on the idyllic Spanish island of Mallorca. But this week’s journey to the Rolex Paris Masters is tougher than normal, with the 22-time major champion having to leave behind not only his wife, but, for the first time, their new-born son.
“It’s a different approach compared to usual,” Nadal said. “Always has been tough to leave home. It’s quite interesting how even after two or three weeks, to leave your son at home and not be able to see him, it’s interesting how even after only three weeks knowing him, you start missing him.
“All the changes are difficult in this life, and you need to adapt to it. It’s at the same time true that we are lucky today that, with technology, we can do video calls any time you want, so that always helps.”
As the Spaniard turns his attention to the indoor hard court event in the French capital, the World No. 2 looks to this season’s haul of four titles, including the Australian Open and Roland Garros crowns. Nadal is seeking his first Rolex Paris Masters title. Should the 36-year-old claim the title in Paris, he will make up ground on countryman Carlos Alcaraz in the battle for year-end No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
But conditions in Paris bring their own challenges.
“You need to be confident,” Nadal said. “You need to play aggressive. It’s a surface that if you are not serving well, that’s the toughest part. You need to have automatic things like this [serve], because a couple of mistakes, it’s not like clay where you can have time to come back. If you lose your serve, then you are in big trouble.”
Boasting a 38-5 record in 2022, Nadal sets his sights on a strong finish to the year at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season before heading to Turin, Italy for the Nitto ATP Finals.
“It’s true that it has been an amazing year in terms of results,” Nadal said. “At the same time, it’s true that it has been a tough year in terms of injuries. Just excited to be here. I am here to try my best. Hopefully I will be ready for tomorrow, and I’m going to try to be competitive. Let’s see. I am excited about it.”
Nadal, seeded second, will play American Tommy Paul (1-0 Head2Head) in his opening match Wednesday.
The world’s best 21-and-under players will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan next week, with home favourite Lorenzo Musetti and Dane Holger Rune leading the eight-man playing field.
Here is what you need to know ahead of the event in Italy.
The 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen Finals will be held from 8-12 November. The indoor hard-court event, established in 2017, will take place at the Allianz Cloud in Milan. The tournament director is Ross Hutchins.
The event in Milan will see eight 21-and-under players divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals. Matches are played best of five sets and first-to-four games. Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Jack Draper, Brandon Nakashima, Jiri Lehecka, Chun-Hsin Tseng, Francesco Passaro and Dominic Stricker will compete.
The Milan draw will be made on Saturday 5 November at 12:00 p.m.
* Main Draw Round-Robin Matches: Tuesday 8 November – Thursday 10 November at 2: 00 p.m., second match n/b 3:00 p.m.. Evening sessions at 7:30 p.m., followed by second match.
* Semi-final One: Friday 11 November at 7:00 p.m.
* Semi-final Two: Friday 11 November n/b 9:00 p.m.
* Final: Saturday 12 November at 9:00 p.m.
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The prize money for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals is $1,400,000.
Undefeated Champion: $432,750
Final Win: $153,000
Semi-Final Win: $113,500
Each Round-Robin Match Win: $28,000
Participation Fee: $82,250
Alternate: $13,000
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Hashtag: #NextGenATP
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Twitter: @nextgenfinals
Instagram: @nextgenfinals
Carlos Alcaraz won the 2021 singles title in Milan with a 4-3(5), 4-2, 4-2 victory against Sebastian Korda in the championship match (Read & Watch).
Most Titles, Singles: Hyeon Chung (1), Stefanos Tsitsipas (1), Jannik Sinner (1), Carlos Alcaraz (1)
Oldest Champion: Hyeon Chung, 21, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Jannik Sinner, 18, in 2019, Carlos Alcaraz, 18, in 2021
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 15 Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 95 Jannik Sinner in 2019
Last Home Champion: Jannik Sinner in 2019
Most Match Wins: Alex de Minaur (8)
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
British number two Dan Evans wins for the first time in his career at the Paris Masters as he aims to finish his ATP season on a high.
