Ruud upsets Jodar in Paris to send Cobolli to Turin as Djokovic keeps his Finals hopes alive

Casper Ruud beat ninth seed Rafael Jodar 6-3 6-4 at the Paris Masters on Tuesday, 3 November, a result that sent Flavio Cobolli to the ATP Finals. On the same day Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Valentin Vacherot and stay in the race for Turin, while Ben Shelton beat Cameron Norrie.

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Ruud takes his revenge

Jodar, 20, was playing his first match as a top-10 player after beating Alejandro Tabilo on Monday, but Ruud controlled the match from the start and needed about an hour and 20 minutes to win in straight sets. The Norwegian, a former world No. 2, had lost to Jodar in Shanghai last month. "On the indoor court you have to be as aggressive as possible," Ruud told the ATP, adding that he has accepted making more mistakes as part of that plan.

Jodar was gracious in defeat. "He played better than me," he said in Spanish, as reported by Tennis Majors, adding that he was not disappointed. Ruud, who beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3 6-2 in his opening match, plays Jan-Lennard Struff or Thiago Agustin Tirante in the third round.

Cobolli in, Jodar waits on de Minaur

Cobolli withdrew from Paris on Monday with a left leg injury and stayed on 3,690 points, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin. He could only miss out if four players passed him this week, and Ruud's win made that impossible. The 24-year-old Italian, a Roland-Garros finalist and Acapulco champion this season, will make his debut at the event, which runs from 15 to 22 November. He joins Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Shelton and Daniil Medvedev, so three places remain.

With Jannik Sinner out for the rest of the season, ninth place in the Race is the last place in. Jodar holds it on 3,234 points, but his Paris week is over. Alex de Minaur, 10th on 3,170, passes him if he beats Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Wednesday, and a run to the final would make the Australian sure of his place. Etcheverry earned that match by beating Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-7(4) 7-6(3). Arthur Fils (3,535) and Frances Tiafoe (3,390), seventh and eighth, have not played yet. Jodar has not decided whether he will go to Turin as an alternate or play the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Djokovic hangs on

Djokovic, 11th in the Race on 2,940 points, beat Basel champion Valentin Vacherot 6-7(5) 7-5 6-1 in two hours and 36 minutes. Vacherot hit 22 aces, won the first-set tie-break and led by a break in the second set, and both players took a medical time-out during that set. "I expected a match like this to be honest, with very few opportunities to break for me," Djokovic said, according to the ATP. The win levels their head-to-head at 1-1.

According to Tennis Majors' projections, the Serbian needs at least a semi-final to stay in contention and only the title would make him sure of qualifying. He plays qualifier Rinky Hijikata next, with de Minaur a possible third-round opponent. Taylor Fritz (12th, 2,900) kept his hopes alive by beating qualifier Benjamin Bonzi 3-6 6-3 6-4, and Tommy Paul (13th, 2,775) beat Holger Rune 7-5 6-4.

Shelton and the rest of Tuesday

Shelton, the third seed and already qualified for Turin, beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 in 71 minutes, winning 28 of 32 first-serve points. It was his 42nd tour-level win of the season, equalling his best, and he plays Mattia Bellucci or Arthur Rinderknech next. Rinderknech advanced when Francisco Cerundolo retired at 6-3 7-6(2) 2-0.

Matteo Berrettini saved two match points to beat 14th seed Brandon Nakashima 6-4 3-6 7-6(8), Alex Michelsen beat Jiri Lehecka 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 to set up a meeting with Alcaraz, and Learner Tien edged Daniel Vallejo 6-3 5-7 7-5. Every score is on our tennis results page, and our guide to the race explains how the Turin places are decided.