Early Battles In Paris Could Determine Final 2 London Spots
Early Battles In Paris Could Determine Final 2 London Spots
The release of the Rolex Paris Masters draw has added further intrigue to the battle for the final two singles berths at the Nitto ATP Finals, the eight-man season finale to be held 12-19 November at The O2 arena in London.
The final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year – and last tournament of the regular season – has thrown up two potential third-round matches that could go a long way to determining who makes it to London – and who does not.
View The Rolex Paris Master Draw
In the top half of the draw, the man who currently has a hold on the last qualifying spot, Pablo Carreno Busta, could have a third-round meeting with American Sam Querrey, who at No. 11, is just 80 points behind the Spaniard in the Emirates ATP Race To London.
In the bottom half of the draw, David Goffin, who is seventh in the Race, could meet fast-finishing Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was a distant 22nd in the Race before winning his fourth title of the year in Antwerp last week. Tsonga, who is 19-2 indoors this year, today upset World No. 5 Alexander Zverev to reach the Vienna semi-finals.
Juan Martin del Potro has the opportunity to complete one of the most unlikely qualifications in tournament history. The Argentine was a distant 47th in the Race before the US Open, but would overtake Carreno Busta for the final qualifying position as early as Sunday should he advance to the Swiss Indoors Basel final and win the title for a third time. Next week in Paris, del Potro plays the winner of Gael Monfils and Paolo Lorenzi in in his opener, with a third-round clash with Zverev a possibility.
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, 135 points behind Carreno Busta, opens against #NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev or veteran Frenchman Fernando Verdasco. The winner of that match could face fifth seed Dominic Thiem in the third round.
Top seed Rafael Nadal returns to the tour after missing this week in Basel with knee soreness. He will play the winner of Mischa Zverev and Hyeon Chung in the second round. Second seed Roger Federer, who also has a first-round bye, will open against Feliciano Lopez or Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Nadal has a healthy lead over Federer in the battle for the year-end World No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking, but the Swiss is not without a chance of claiming year-end honours for a sixth time should he win Paris and the season finale.
The Nitto ATP Finals also features the best eight doubles teams of the year. Just one doubles spot to London remains up for grabs in Paris.