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Stefanos Tsitsipas passed a stiff second-round test from the resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the Greek’s serving under pressure helped him seal a 6-3, 7-6(4) triumph.

Tsitsipas saved six of seven break points he faced in his one-hour, 48-minute victory to improve his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Auger-Aliassime to 6-3. He rallied from 2-5 in the second set, fending off four set points overall before clinching his first win against the Canadian since 2021.

In it to WIN it ?@steftsitsipas saves FOUR set points in the second set before moving past Auger-Aliassime and into the third round! @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/v3FJ8QObrt

Although last week’s Basel champion Auger-Aliassime fired 25 winners, including nine aces, to Tsitsipas’ 18 on Court Central, the seventh seed kept his cool to register his 49th tour-level win of 2023. The 25-year-old will next look to hit his half century for the season when he takes on 10th seed Alexander Zverev or home favourite Ugo Humbert at Accor Arena.

Wednesday's hard-earned result could be key for Tsitsipas as he looks to secure his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. The 2019 champion at the prestigious season finale, the Greek is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, with an 810 point cushion to ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz.

Hubert Hurkacz hit a milestone Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he surpassed 1,000 aces this season during his second-round match against Roberto Bautista Agut.

The 26-year-old had 985 aces going into the match and hit an additional 19 on the day, becoming the first player to hit 1,000 aces in a season since Americans John Isner and Reilly Opelka in 2019, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

"I'm really excited about hitting 1,000 aces this season," Hurkacz told ATPTour.com. "Hopefully there are still a couple more to come, but didn't expect it at the beginning of the year, so definitely the serve has been working a little bit. Just excited, hopefully it's going to help me to put a couple of more good results this year and really proud of the work with the whole team."

At ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, Hurkacz is averaging 15 aces per match this season, in which he has claimed titles in Marseille and last month in Shanghai.

The 6’5” Pole is the first player shorter than 6'8" to hit 1,000 aces since Canadian Milos Raonic fired 1,107 aces in 2014.

Grigor Dimitrov dug deep to complete a prompt revenge job Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Bulgarian battled to a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2) triumph against Daniil Medvedev to reach the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital. Dimitrov led by a set before falling to defeat in the pair’s second-round clash in Vienna just six days ago, but he made no mistake this time around as he powered 48 winners to Medvedev’s 22 for his first victory against the World No. 3 since 2021.

Dimitrov struggled to serve out the match after maintaining the upper hand for much of the deciding set. He led 5-2 before letting slip four match points on his own serve at 5-4 and then another two on return at 6-5, but the World No. 17 kept his composure admirably to dominate the deciding tie-break and seal a two-hour, 54-minute win.

SEVEN match points later! ?⭐️

Grigor Dimitrov | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/J9eL4wGEPg

“At 5-4 and 40/15, I just didn’t go enough for my shots,” said Dimitrov. “That’s it, and against a player like him, he’s going to take it, simple as that. I could have done a few things differently. Obviously, it’s very different when you see it from the outside now, but I’m going to watch a little bit for sure.

ATP & digital art platform Artchild have partnered to launch POSTERS, limited edition tennis posters customisable by fans. The collaboration kicks off at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals (12-19 November) with an Official Poster by acclaimed artist Honor Titus.

Honor Titus is a visual artist based in Los Angeles, California. A passionate tennis fan and player of the sport, Titus often makes tennis the subject of his internationally exhibited paintings, using the game as a lens for broader reflection on society. His innovative collaboration with ATP and Artchild builds upon a longstanding tradition of iconic sporting posters, collected by fans across generations.

© 2023 Nitto ATP Finals Official Poster by Honor Titus
Fans will be able to customise and purchase their own versions of the Nitto ATP Finals Official Poster, using the Artchild digital canvas and artist-curated colour palettes. Each will come to life as a physical print, shipped to fans’ homes, paired with a digital collectible powered by Polygon. A selection of these fan-customised posters will go on to be showcased live at the Pala Alpitour arena, home of the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Official Poster and digital counterpart, in the original version designed by Honor Titus, will be available for purchase exclusively during the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.

Honor Titus photographed at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club. © Mikayla Jean Miller 2023

Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning opening-round loss at the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday had wider consequences than simply his elimination from the season's final ATP Masters 1000 event. With the defeat, the Spaniard’s chances of earning a second consecutive ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour dropped significantly.

Six-time Paris champion Novak Djokovic now has an opportunity to press his advantage this week. The Serbian leads the Spaniard by 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and could extend his lead to 1,495 points by lifting the trophy in Bercy. The Live Race serves as a barometer for the year-end No. 1 battle.

A gap that wide would nearly put the battle out of reach for Alcaraz with only one more week in the regular season (he has not entered the ATP 250 events in Metz or Sofia, but could accept a wild card) and then the Nitto ATP Finals, where a maximum of 1,500 points are up for grabs.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (31 October)

Should Djokovic emerge victorious at the Rolex Paris Masters for the seventh time, he would be on the verge of extending his record of year-end No. 1 finishes to eight. The 36-year-old last accomplished the feat in 2021.

Carlos Alcaraz had few complaints about how he struck the ball during his surprise opening-round loss to Roman Safiullin at the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday night. But his movement?That's another story.

“I just didn't feel well on the court,” the World No. 2 said. “A lot of things to improve, a lot of things to practise. I didn't move well. In the shots, I think I had a good quality of shots. But physically in the part of movement, I have to improve a lot.”

Alcaraz, who was forced to pull out of Basel due to problems with his left foot and lower back, was competing for the first time since his defeat to Grigor Dimitrov 20 days ago in the Shanghai last 16.

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Alcaraz’s let slip an early break of serve in both sets during his 6-3, 6-4 defeat to the World No. 45 in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. But having seen Safiullin’s dramatic rise from outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings since early May, the Spaniard said that he expected a tough fight against the Wimbledon quarter-finalist.

Roman Safiullin earned the biggest win of his career year by stunning Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters. The qualifier recovered an early break in both sets of a shock 6-3, 6-4 victory, dealing Alcaraz his first opening-round loss of 2023.

Safiullin is up to No. 39 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with the victory, setting himself up to break into the Top 40 for the first time. The 26-year-old's upset win against Alcaraz follows breakthrough runs to the Wimbledon quarter-finals and the Chengdu final in recent months.

"Since qualies, I was not playing at this level but against Carlos and these Top 10, Top 20 guys, you have to lift up the level," Safiullin said post-match. "I managed to do it.

"For Carlos, it was not his best performance, but still I'm happy that I can win... Even if he's not in the best shape it's tough to beat him. So I'm really happy that I made it."

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Dominic Thiem views food as more than just a meal, the Austrian explained in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s What I Eat series.

“Food is obviously something very important. It’s like which fuel you put in the car,” Thiem said. “It’s the same with the food and your body. It’s so important. It gets you going or it can also slow you down.”

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When the former World No. 3 was younger, he “didn’t care so much” about what he ate. But his mindset regarding nutrition has changed.

“The past five to 10 years, I got more and more aware of it,” Thiem said. “And now I try to eat healthy, to eat conscious and to have a good relationship with food.”

Novak Djokovic will begin his chase for a record-extending seventh title at the Rolex Paris Masters when he competes on Wednesday. Before focusing on singles, though, the Serbian took to court on Tuesday in doubles, teaming with countryman Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the second round.

Djokovic and Kecmanovic swept past Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-2 in 68 minutes at the ATP Masters 100 event.

The Serbians won 67 per cent (12/18) of points on Escobar and Nedovyesov’s second serves, breaking four times to set a second-round meeting against third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Djokovic will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opening singles match on Wednesday. The 36-year-old is aiming for another deep run in Paris to boost his ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone chances. The Serbian leads Carlos Alcaraz by 500 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year-end World No. 1 battle.

Second serves to the forehand.

Players typically stay away from this higher-risk strategy and kick the second serve to the less potent backhand return.

Not Novak Djokovic. Not by a long shot.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of 41 matches against right-handed opponents this season shows that Djokovic actually prefers to hit second serves to the forehand wing. By going against the grain, he collects more second-serve aces, extracts significantly more return errors and wins a higher percentage of second-serve points overall.

Opponents are sitting on a heavy kick to the backhand return. A hard slider to the forehand is what comes at them more often than not. Djokovic hit 55 per cent (382/690) of his second serves at the forehand corners versus backhand corners in both service boxes, while opponents only hit 26 per cent (164/622) to the forehand corners against him. Interestingly, Djokovic served more to the backhand return against left-handers.

Taylor Fritz withdrew from the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday due to an abdominal strain. The withdrawal puts his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in jeopardy.

"Devastated to have to pull out with so much on the line," Fritz wrote on social media. "All I wanted was the chance to fight for my potential Turin spot but after getting scans today on my oblique it’s just not possible for me to play. Time to rehab and hope to be back on court as soon as I can be ❤️‍?"

Get well soon, Taylor ?@Taylor_Fritz97 has withdrawn from the #RolexParisMasters due to an abdominal injury. pic.twitter.com/iDlqyUYiUM

The American, who was not scheduled to play Tuesday, advanced to the second round on Monday with a straight-sets win over Sebastian Baez, but received treatment during the second set on his abdominal region.

“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a little bit... I didn’t think it was anything too bad going in [to this match], but one where I slid out and sliced that forehand, I felt like I did something that I had never done to it before," Fritz said after the match. "Like maybe I tore something or pulled it. So I’m going to have to get it checked out and see what’s going on.”

Novak Djokovic is returning to action this week at the Rolex Paris Masters, but first he took advantage of cool opportunities off the court in Paris.

On Monday evening, the Serbian presented the Women's Ballon d'Or award to Spaniard Aitana Bonmati.

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Djokovic enjoyed the evening and even caught up with David Beckham, who is the co-owner of Inter Miami, the club for which Men's Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi plays.

Before taking to the football spotlight, Djokovic enjoyed the final of the Rugby World Cup between South Africa and New Zealand.

On Tuesday, the 36-year-old will take to the doubles court alongside countryman Miomir Kecmanovic against Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. He will open his singles event against Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Alexander Zverev looked as if he was going to miss the chance to fully cement his Nitto ATP Finals qualification claims after 40 minutes of play on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Two hours later and the German’s position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin became comfortable again after he rallied past Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round in Paris.

"It was just one or two points [that made the difference]," Zverev said. "He was playing incredibly well and tactically I think he was unbelievable... His slice was effective as I did not know what to do on this surface here. It was a very difficult match and I am happy to be through. I found my level and I am happy with that."

Zverev recovered from a slow start at the ATP Masters 1000 event in France, where he won 63 per cent (15/24) of his first-serve points in the opening set. He recovered well, improving on serve as the match went on to earn his 52nd tour-level win of the year after two hours and 40 minutes.

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Reilly Opelka is set to return to action for the first time in 15 months at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 75 event in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The 26-year-old, who has been sidelined with a hip and wrist injury, will meet Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday in the opening round of the Jonathan Fried Pro Challenger, Opelka’s first tournament since August 2022.

A four-time tour-level titlist, Opelka enjoyed a career-best season in 2022 before suffering injury. The 6’11” American claimed two titles and reached a career-high No. 17 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in February 2022.

Fans can visit Challenger TV to watch all ATP Challenger Tour matches live and on demand at no cost. At the indoor hard-court event in Charlottesville, Opelka and Sandgren will follow seventh seed Denis Kudla and Chris Rodesch, who are scheduled to play at 4pm ET.

Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka did not play for six and a half years entering their clash Monday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters, but the return of their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry proved well worth the wait.

Thiem saved a match point at 3-5 in the third set before rallying past his fellow former World No. 3 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 for a place in the second round. The tantalising encounter between two of the best one-handed backhands in recent memory ultimately ended after two hours and 31 minutes at 2:22 a.m. Tuesday morning.

"It's very nice to share a great and close match like that with Stan because we have a history together of many great matches," Thiem said. "Obviously he's one of my big idols backhand wise."

What a finish ?

After saving a match point, @domithiem edges past Wawrinka 3-6 6-3 7-5.@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/aGn92D8Gsa

While Thiem hit highlight-reel shots throughout the match, especially with jaw-dropping passing shots, it was Wawrinka who was first on the verge of victory. The Swiss held match point at 5-3, 40/30 in the decider, but double-faulted long. It was one of six double faults he hit in the match.

Fifteen months ago, Roman Safiullin had never cracked the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Now the World No. 45, he will face one of his biggest challenges yet on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters against Carlos Alcaraz.

Having played Novak Djokovic in last year's Tel Aviv semi-finals, Safiullin has gone from outside the Top 100 to consistently competing against the best players in the world.

“For this year, I made different preparation. So during the season, we changed maybe two or three times the preparation for tournaments, and it worked very well. For the next year, we're going to change something and adapt to be even better,” Safiullin told ATP Podcast. “Like training schedule, training hours, fitness, tennis, physio, everything. We were mixing it up regarding the time and quality, everything.

“So we were changing, adapting, see what's working, what doesn't work. And slowly we were finding the solution which worked the best.”

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Daniil Medvedev finished runner-up in the Erste Bank Open final Sunday but still left Vienna a winner after topping the inaugural ATP 500 bonus pool standings for the 2023 season.

Implemented this year as part of ATP’s OneVision strategy, the bonus pool distributes $1.3 million to eligible players who earned the most Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at the ATP 500 level, which comprises 13 events.

Boosted by titles early in the season in Rotterdam and Dubai, and a runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s Vienna final, Medvedev earned more points than any other player this year at the ATP 500 level.

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World No. 3 Medvedev moved past Carlos Alcaraz into first place of the bonus pool during his run to the Vienna final. The 20-time ATP Tour champion will receive a $600,000 bonus. Other players to finish in the top five of the bonus pool – Alcaraz, Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur – will share $700,000 in bonus pool prize money.

Taylor Fritz delivered a clinical display to keep alive his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes on Monday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The ninth-seeded American wrapped a 6-1, 6-4 first-round triumph against Sebastian Baez at the ATP Masters 1000 event in the French capital. Fritz converted all three break points he earned to improve to 54-23 for the season and set a second-round meeting with #NextGenATP home favourite Arthur Fils or Daniel Altmaier.

“I’m pretty happy, especially with how the match started in the first set,” said Fritz, whose best Paris result is a quarter-final run in 2021. “I got an early break of serve in the second and luckily I was just able to hold on serve and finish it up.”

Moving on ?@Taylor_Fritz97 knocks out Baez 6-1 6-4 to advance to R2 in Paris!
@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/oqGBDp0kaf

However, it was not all plain sailing on Monday for Fritz, who received treatment from the physio mid-way through the second set on his left abdomen. The 25-year-old spoke candidly after the match about the issue and he will hope it is nothing too serious as he next looks to move past Fils or Altmaier to set a potential third-round showdown with his Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin rival Holger Rune.

A topsy-turvy year has Holger Rune hungry for a strong finish to the season.

In the first half of 2023, Rune saved four championship points to triumph in Munich, sandwiched in between final appearances at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Rome. But following his Wimbledon quarter-final run, the World No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings has won just four of his past 12 matches.

Perhaps there is no better place to find his best form than at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters, where he is aiming to defend the title.

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“It's a good fight. It's the last push of the season,” Rune told the ATP Podcast in Paris. “I'm really ready to give it my all and then prepare for the next one.”

After notching a first-round win in Shanghai last month, Arthur Fils paused to sign the TV camera near the umpire’s chair, as is customary at many ATP Tour events. The #NextGenATP star's message, 'Moving Like La Monf', was as much for his good friend and fellow Frenchman, Gael Monfils, as it was for fans watching at home.

“[It referred to] everything,” Fils told ATPTour.com last week when asked exactly what he had meant by his camera salute to Monfils. “I mean, on the court I'm trying to move like him. He is 37 years old, and he is moving like a god. And of course, [off court] he's a smooth guy, walking nicely and everything, so I'm doing it like him.”

Fils' message caught the attention of the man himself.

“It was very nice for me, to be honest,” said Monfils, who earlier this month lifted his 12th ATP Tour title in Stockholm. “I was flattered."

It's all in the name ??

Arthur Fils x @Gael_Monfils
#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/aXIInm0hld