With two spots remaining at the Nitto ATP Finals, Pablo Carreno Busta and Sam Querrey begin their final campaign for qualification on Tuesday in Paris. Carreno Busta, who currently occupies the last London spot, faces French wild card Nicolas Mahut in one of three second-round matches. The Spaniard broke into the Top 8 of the Emirates ATP Race to London after defeating a record four qualifiers en route to the US Open semi-finals, one of whom was the 35-year-old Mahut.

Also in second-round action, Querrey meets Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic. If Querrey and Carreno Busta both win on Tuesday, they will meet in the third round with the Spaniard’s Race position on the line. If Querrey wins and Carreno Busta loses on Tuesday, they will be tied with 2,615 points. Carreno Busta owns the tiebreaker because he has earned more points than Querrey at Grand Slams and mandatory ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups for Day 2  and vote for who you think will win!
Mahut vs. Carreno Busta | Cuevas vs. Khachanov | Verdasco vs. Rublev

Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Dominic Thiem plays in the other second-round match against German lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk. Thiem is ranked a career-high No. 6, but he has yet to reach a semi-final off of clay courts this season. The Austrian has struggled throughout his career during the fall. Thiem is 12-20 lifetime in October and November with one quarter-final and no semi-final finishes.

The last eight matches of the first round are also on Tuesday’s schedule, including a pair of France vs. Spain showdowns. French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert faces Feliciano Lopez, who beat him 7-6(3), 6-4 in the 2016 Rolex Paris Masters first round. Then, Adrian Mannarino looks to end his sensational season on a high note against David Ferrer. Mannarino has earned 24 of his career-high 32 wins this year since June 25, when he began his run to the inaugural Antalya final.

Richard Gasquet won an all-French battle on Monday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters, prevailing against Benoit Paire 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a second-round clash with sixth seed Grigor Dimitrov. 

Gasquet looked on course for a straight-sets victory when Paire mounted his challenge late in the second, winning four straight games to send the match to a decisive set. He was unable to maintain the momentum in the third, however, as Gasquet broke in the seventh game and served out the win to love after one hour and 46 minutes. The former World No. 7 improved to a perfect 5-0 mark against his countryman.

The 31-year-old Gasquet, a three-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finalist, will take a 5-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into his next match against Dimitrov, who last week became the fifth qualifier for the Nitto ATP Finals. Dimitrov has won their past two meetings, including earlier this year at the Australian Open.

Wild card Julien Benneteau capped off the day’s proceedings in Paris with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fast-rising #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov. The 35-year-old Benneteau also defeated the Canadian teenager on home soil in February, at the Open 13 Marseille.

Shapovalov will finish his season next week at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, while Benneteau goes on to face top Frenchman and 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for an 11th time overall and second time at this tournament. Tsonga still holds a chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, but would need to reclaim the title at this Masters 1000 tournament.

A total of four Frenchmen won in first-round action on the first day of main draw action at the Masters 1000 tournament, with Nicolas Mahut and Jeremy Chardy advancing earlier in the day.

Christopher Eubanks burst onto the ATP World Tour in July when he advanced to the quarter-finals of the BB&T Atlanta Open, claiming his first two tour-level victories. He then qualified for the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, beating World No. 69 Janko Tipsarevic — a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year in the 2017 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon — to earn a spot in the main draw, where he lost in three sets. Thanks to his efforts, he received a wild card into the US Open.

The thing is, Eubanks was still a college tennis player, having recently completed his junior year at Georgia Tech. There, he became the fifth player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to garner ACC Player of the Year honours two years in a row. But after already taking what would have been the first semester of his senior year off, Eubanks announced on 23 October that he would forego his final year of college eligibility and begin his journey as a professional tennis player. The 21-year-old is playing his first event since the decision this week at the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger in Virginia, and will play the U.S. indoor swing that also includes Knoxville and Champaign, where he reached the semi-finals last year in just his second Challenger event.

“It was extremely difficult. It was a long process. It involved me kind of looking at myself and asking myself mentally, ‘Do I think I’m mature enough? Do I think I’m ready to tackle this as a job?’” Eubanks said. “I think I made the right decision for me and look forward to seeing what happens because of it.”

Eubanks consulted fellow Americans in the pro ranks — including Donald Young, former Georgia Tech student-athlete Kevin King, Steve Johnson and Ryan Harrison — for advice. Their words boiled down into similar advice.

“You have to do what you think is best for you. You can’t make a decision for other people. You can’t make a decision to please other people. You have to do what you think is going to make you happy and do what you think is the best for you and your career,” Eubanks said of what he was told. “If I felt like I was ready and I’m ready to tackle this as a job then make the jump. If there’s any type of hesitation, there’s nothing wrong with going back to college for another year.”

Now, tennis is Eubanks’ job. But he says that he doesn’t have to change much.

“I just try to continue the mindset that I’ve had all summer and continue the progression I’ve been on,” Eubanks said of consistently improving. “I think I’m on a pretty good progression and I think it would be foolish to change something that I’ve been doing when it’s been working pretty well.”

To continue trending upward, Eubanks has been taking different weeks to go to train at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida, with USTA coach Troy Hahn. Other players practising there include Bjorn Fratangelo, Tommy Paul, Reilly Opelka and Mackenzie McDonald. Currently No. 308 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Eubanks will have to work his way through the ATP Challenger Tour to climb up the professional ladder. And while he has only played four Challengers, the level of event does not phase him.

“I still try look at it as it’s still tennis. It’s still a tennis match. It’s still the same thing I’ve been doing since I was two years old,” Eubanks said. “So I don’t think that having a different mindset going into a Challenger, going into a 250 or a 500 or a Grand Slam, I don’t think it should change. It’s important to keep the same mindset I’ve had, which is treating every match like it’s the last one. Treating every match like it’s a tournament final.”

After beating the likes of Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Jared Donaldson and #NextGenATP Taylor Fritz in Atlanta, as well as Tipsarevic in Cincinnati, there was no change in what Eubanks thought he can do. His mind is only set on doing one thing every day.

“Just continue to get better,” said Eubanks, who added he is committed to doing whatever he can to maximize his potential. “[Just] trying to be a better player as time goes on than I was previously. That’s probably the biggest goal I have and if I can continue that, I think some pretty cool things can happen.”

Eubanks kicks off his professional career on Tuesday against Christian Harrison in his Charlottesville opener. The pair teamed up to beat veterans Mikhail Youzhny and Mischa Zverev at the US Open.

Rafael Nadal starts the penultimate week of the ATP World Tour season focused on two more career milestones in what has already been a resurgent 2017 for the Spaniard.

No. 1 is No. 1: Nadal needs to win only one more match to clinch his fourth year-end finish atop the Emirates ATP Rankings (also 2008, 2010, 2013 ). No. 2 is No. 31: The number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles Nadal will have – which would be a record – if he wins the Rolex Paris Masters this week. He is currently tied with Serbian Novak Djokovic for the all-time lead at 30.

Winning one more match is likely to happen here or at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 12-19 November at The O2 in London. A 31^st Masters 1000 title in 2017 will require Nadal accomplishing a career first and hoisting the “Tree of Fanti” trophy at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.

“Let’s see. I need to win a match. But I am here to try my best as in every tournament,” Nadal said on Monday during his pre-tournament press conference. “Of course, if that happens, it will be something important for me. But season is not over and this is not the moment to think much about that. I will just try to think about trying to have the right preparation for the tournament and then try to be ready for the first match.”

Most Year-End No. 1 Finishes

The top seed opens against Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Hyeon Chung. The 21-year-old South Korean routed German Mischa Zverev on Monday, breaking the serve and volleyer five times to advance 6-0, 6-2.

Nadal, a 10-time champion at Roland Garros, has always reached at least the quarter-finals during the indoors Paris tournament. His best finish came during his debut 10 years ago when he lost in the final against Argentine David Nalbandian.

Rafa at the Rolex Paris Masters

It will be Nadal’s first tournament since falling to Roger Federer in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final on 15 October. “I needed to rest after Shanghai. I’ve had a lot of matches this year,” said Nadal, who enters Paris 65-10 on the season, including  which includes six title runs.

Nadal’s long-time rival Federer withdrew from the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday evening after winning his eighth Swiss Indoors Basel title and 95^th career crown.

“After winning Shanghai and winning Basel he believes [missing Paris] will be better for his body and for his preparation for London,” Nadal said.

“I am here to try my best as always and just trying to practise well every day… I am just happy to be here in probably the most important city in my career.”

The battle for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November, all comes down to the final seven days of the regular ATP World Tour season at the Rolex Paris Masters this week.

There are currently 12 singles players competing at the final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year mathematically in contention for a place at the season finale – from Belgium’s David Goffin at No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Race To London to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina at No. 26.

Goffin, a winner of two ATP World Tour titles from four finals in 2017, is in pole position to make his debut in London. He could clinch the seventh spot in the eight-player field by reaching the Paris semi-finals.

Pablo Carreno Busta (No. 9), Sam Querrey (No. 11), Kevin Anderson (No. 12) and the in-form Juan Martin del Potro (No. 13) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 14) would also seal their place at the Nitto ATP Finals by lifting the Paris trophy.

Lucas Pouille, last week’s winner of the Erste Bank Open 500 crown, Roberto Bautista Agut, John Isner, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Jack Sock and Schwartzman all have a chance by winning Paris. But their qualification will also depend upon the results of other contenders.

View Emirates ATP Race To London

In the doubles battle for qualification, Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers hold the final automatic qualification berth. Currently at No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Race To London, the Croatian-Spanish team will book their spot in London by reaching the Paris final. They could also qualify by advancing to at least the Paris quarter-finals as long as Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram don’t win the title.

Klaasen and Ram, last year’s runners up at the Nitto ATP Finals, would need to reach the final to stand a chance of qualifying. Two other teams, Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, and Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez, need to win the Paris title to compete in London.

View Emirates ATP Doubles Team Race To London

A LOOK BACK
China International Suzhou (Suzhou, China): It has been a banner year for junior stars making the transition to the ATP Challenger Tour. In June, Felix Auger-Aliassime won his first title in Lyon, France. In July, it was Nicola Kuhn’s turn in Braunschweig, Germany and in September, Wu Yibing lifted the trophy in Shanghai. On Sunday, former junior No. 1 Miomir Kecmanovic earned his maiden title in Suzhou, China, defeating Radu Albot 6-4, 6-4.

One week after falling in the first round in Ningbo, the Serbian did not drop a set in streaking to the title in Suzhou, upsetting four seeded opponents along the way. He is the youngest from his country to win on the circuit since Novak Djokovic in 2005. Players from Serbia have now accounted for a tour-leading 12 titles this year.

The reaction says it all! 18 year old ?? Miomir Kecmanovic claims a thrilling match point to lift his first #ATPChallenger trophy in Suzhou. pic.twitter.com/04gHfIxqQ2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 30, 2017

Open Brest Arena Credit Agricole (Brest, France): Home hope Corentin Moutet gave French fans plenty to cheer about in Brest. The unseeded wild card claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(8) in one hour and 38 minutes. It was the first all-teenage final of the year, with Moutet joining Kecmanovic as 18-year-old winners on Sunday. The Frenchman moves up 64 spots to a career-high No. 160 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, while the Serbian soars 85 positions to No. 209.

It was an impressive week for Moutet, who rallied from a set down on two occasions: upsetting defending champion Norbert Gombos in the first round and edging Yannick Maden in the semis. He is the fifth different French titlist this year, joining Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Mathias Bourgue and Calvin Hemery.

Latrobe City Traralgon Challenger (Traralgon, Australia): Even Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a week like this for Jason Kubler. After sitting on the sidelines for more than a year due to injury, Kubler claimed the title in Traralgon in what was his first ATP Challenger Tour event since July 2015. It was a fairytale week for the Aussie, who came through qualifying to capture his second Challenger title. He saved one match point to edge countryman Alex Bolt 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3) in two hours and 28 minutes in Sunday’s final.

Kubler’s victory is even more astounding considering it came on hard courts. The 24 year old, a former junior No. 1, has endured a career of knee issues that have only allowed him to compete on clay. In fact, he had never played a Challenger match on hard entering the week. Kubler would go on to upset third seed Taro Daniel and second seed Matthew Ebden – both in straight sets – en route to the championship. He vaults 266 spots to No. 349 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

.@JasonKubler caps a fairytale week in Traralgon, claiming the title in his first #ATPChallenger in more than two years. Saves 1 MP to d. Alex Bolt 26 76(6) 76(3). pic.twitter.com/ojI5rVKG1S

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 29, 2017

Hung Thinh Vietnam Open (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam): Former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny returned to the Top 100 thanks to another successful week on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Russian veteran went back-to-back in Ningbo and Ho Chi Minh City, defeating John Millman 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in Vietnam’s largest city. The win not only saw Youzhny extend his win streak to 10 straight, but nearly assured the 35-year-old a main draw berth at the Australian Open in January.

Read & Watch: Santillan, Purcell Visit Ben Thanh Market In Ho Chi Minh City

Lima Challenger (Lima, Peru): Gerald Melzer did not drop a set all week in Lima, claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year. He ousted Jozef Kovalik 7-5, 7-6(4) in the final, marking his sixth crown in total. The Austrian is making a late-season push towards a Top 100 return, moving up 19 spots to No. 119.

.@GeraldMelzer is the champion in Lima, claiming his sixth #ATPChallenger title and first of the year with a 75 76(4) win over Jozef Kovalik. pic.twitter.com/nITuWhvyRc

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 30, 2017

A LOOK AHEAD
Once again, five tournaments are on the slate this week. All are in different continents. The U.S. indoor swing gets underway in Charlottesville, with defending champion opening against top seed Tennys Sandgren in a blockbuster first round clash. In Shenzhen, China, Youzhny looks to make it three titles in three weeks, while Kecmanovic eyes a second straight crown.

Jordan Thompson is the top seed on home soil in Canberra, Australia, while Ruben Bemelmans joins Tommy Robredo and teens Moutet, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur in Eckental, Germany. Lastly, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, second seed Nicolas Kicker is the defending champion and accompanied by Victor Estrella Burgos and #NextGenATP star Casper Ruud.

No. 16 Lucas Pouille, +8
Lucas Pouille captured the biggest crown of his career on Sunday at the Erste Bank Open 500 to rise eight positions to No. 16 in the Emirates ATP Race To London. The 23-year-old defeated fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 6-4 for his fourth ATP World Tour crown. With the victory, Pouille became the first player in 2017 to win on all surfaces, adding a hard-court crown in Vienna to triumphs on the Gazprom Hungarian Open clay in Budapest and on grass at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.

Tsonga, who is at No. 14 in the battle for the two remaining spots for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals, leads the ATP World Tour this year with a 20-3 mark indoors. He had been bidding to become the first Frenchman to win at least five singles titles in a single season since Guy Forget won six in 1991.

Finals Contenders Jostle To Qualify
Twelve players – from David Goffin at No. 8 to No. 26-ranked Diego Schwartzman – all have a mathematical opportunity to clinch one of the two remaining qualification berths for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November, based on their performances at the Rolex Paris Masters. Read More

Juan Martin del Potro, at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, maintained his fine run of form following his 20th crown at the Intrum Stockholm Open by advancing to the Swiss Indoors Basel title match (l. to Federer). The popular Argentine rose one place (to 2,415 points) last week and is 190 points behind Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta (2,605 points), who sits in the final automatic qualification berth.

Other Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber, +5
No. 49 Kyle Edmund, +11
No. 68 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, +11
No. 81 Marton Fucsovics, +25
No. 82 Stefanos Tsitsipas, +11
No. 83 Gilles Simon, +7
No. 84 Mikhail Youhzhny, +14
No. 85 Julien Benneteau, +11
No. 100 Blaz Kavcic, +8