Fritz, Rublev boost ATP Finals spot chance

Paris: Taylor Fritz of the United States stayed in contention for one of the two remaining ATP Finals spots by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the Paris Masters.

The ninth-seeded Fritz rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the opening set and took the second by winning the last four games. Davidovich Fokina made 24 unforced errors to just nine for Fritz.

Andrey Rublev, too, improved his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals by cruising past John Isner 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. The seventh-seeded Rublev beat Isner for the first time in four meetings. Isner dropped serve twice in the opening set and Rublev capitalized on three forehand errors by the American to break for a 3-1 lead in the second.

Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic have already qualified for the ATP Finals. Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz are in the running to round out the eight-player field. “It’s been the best season ever,” Fritz said. “No pressure. I’m just trying to have the best result I possibly can. I played well here last year, so I don’t see why I can’t do it again this year.”