On Monday, American players Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe both lost in the first round of the Paris Masters. Tiafoe was defeated 6-3, 6-4 by Alexander Bublik, while Shelton was defeated 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-3 by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
It was Bublik’s first hardcourt victory in a Masters tournament since last year in Miami. Shelton, who won his first tour championship earlier this month in Tokyo, smashed 15 aces. However, couldn’t recover from the decider’s solitary break of serve. Also read: Wimbledon’s Grand Vision: A New Stadium and 38 Courts
Also, in a three-hour encounter, Alex De Minaur survived one match point. And also fought from 2-5 down in the third set to defeat 2016 winner Andy Murray 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5. De Minaur, the 13th seed, is unbeaten in six encounters versus Murray.
De Minaur averted a match point in the ninth game of the deciding set and won the final five games to keep his ATP Finals hopes alive. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Andrey Rublev have already secured five of the eight spots for the year-end tournament in Turin. Also read: Eugenie Bouchard Reveals Her New Boyfriend, making It Official
Murray smashed his racket in anger at the end of the match.
It was the second time in a month the British player wasted a third-set lead against his Australian rival. Furthermore, after de Minaur rallied from a break down in the decider to beat the three-time Grand Slam champion in the first round of the China Open.
The top-ranked Djokovic, who has won the Paris Masters a record six times, is returning to competition for the first time. Since, we all know, he played in a Davis Cup tie for Serbia in September. The US Open champion is on a 13-match winning run and will open his tournament against Miomir Kecmanovic or Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Also read: Who Is Daniil Medvedev Coach? Know All About Gilles Cervara