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Vote For The BNP Paribas Masters Golden Moment

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

Vote For The BNP Paribas Masters Golden Moment

8 Classic Matches. 1 Golden Moment. You Pick The Winner.

Re-live eight Classic Moments from the BNP Paribas Masters, from Tim Henman’s spectacular week in 2003 to Rafael Nadal’s comeback win in 2015, and help crown the Golden Moment from this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

Watch & Vote

After watching the clips, vote for your favourite before the poll closes at 8pm ET Friday, 4 November. These are the eight Classic Moments:

Henman Caps Spectacular Week (2003)
Tsonga Delights Locals (2008)
Monfils Edges Federer (2010)
Soderling’s Dream Week (2010)
Berdych Halts Red-Hot Murray (2011)
Querrey Overcomes Djokovic (2012)
Ferrer Stops Janowicz (2012)
Nadal Saves Match Point (2015)

Vote for the Golden Moment

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Andy Murray beats Fernando Verdasco to reach Paris Masters third round

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

Britain’s Andy Murray edged out Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the Paris Masters second round as he aims for the world number one ranking.

Murray, 29, who could overtake Novak Djokovic with a good run this week, won 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in two hours and 29 minutes despite a patchy display.

Earlier, Djokovic beat Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller 6-3 6-4.

The Serb, 29, will retain his number one ranking – held for 122 weeks – if he reaches the final.

However, failure to do so would allow Murray to overtake him if the Scot can win the title, or if Murray reaches the final and Djokovic exits before the semis.

Murray took the first set against world number 46 Verdasco, after breaking to go 4-2 ahead, but lost a second-set tie-break after both players twice had their serves broken.

Paris Masters Thursday schedule (Court Central – starting at 10:00 GMT)
Marin Cilic (Cro) [9] v David Goffin (Bel) [8]
Richard Gasquet (Fra) [12] v Jack Sock (US)
Novak Djokovic (Srb) [1] v Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) [14]
Lucas Pouille (Fra) [13] v Andy Murray (GB) [2]

In a tense decider, Murray struggled to dominate before breaking to love to clinch a place in the third round.

Murray faces Frenchman Lucas Pouille on Thursday, while Djokovic plays Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Victory over Verdasco means Murray, who secured his seventh title of the year in Vienna on Sunday, has won 53 of his past 57 matches.

“It was a tough match. Verdasco was going for his shots and serving huge,” said Murray.

“When he was behind in games and even when I was getting the return back, he was dictating the points on his forehand and backhand. He hit a few lines with his backhand.

“I just had to fight at the end.”

The battle for top spot

Murray, who won his third title in as many weeks with victory in Vienna, is bidding to top the rankings for the first time.

But four-time Paris champion Djokovic looked composed as he returned to action after losing in the Shanghai semi-finals two weeks ago.

He took the first set after breaking Muller in the sixth game and another break to go 5-4 up in the second proved crucial as the top seed won in an hour and 20 minutes.

“It was great to start off the way I did today,” said 12-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

He completed the career Grand Slam with a first French Open title in June, although his form has dipped since then.

Djokovic won in Toronto but lost early at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and was beaten in the US Open final by Stan Wawrinka.

Murray has closed the gap dramatically in terms of points over the past four months to trail by only 415, with 1,000 on offer to the winner in Paris.

Earlier on Wednesday, Japan’s Kei Nishikori claimed his 300th career win, a 6-2 7-5 victory against Serb Viktor Troicki.

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Cilic Sets Key London Clash With Goffin

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

Cilic Sets Key London Clash With Goffin

Blockbuster third round set in Paris

Ninth seed Marin Cilic set up a key clash with David Goffin in the Emirates ATP Race To London as he overcame fellow Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6(7), 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round of the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.

“I’m really excited and satisfied with my form, especially these past few months,” said Cilic. “I’ve been trying for a long time to find that consistency at the big tournaments. That was a goal of mine at the beginning of the season, so I’m just hoping to continue with good tennis here and make it to London.”

Cilic will now play eighth seed Goffin, who kept alive his outside chance of playing at The O2 as he defeated Nicolas Mahut 7-6(5), 6-3. Goffin must beat Cilic and win the title at the AccorHotels Arena this week to clinch one of the two remaining spots in the elite eight-player field at the season finale.

“David has been playing very well this season. We just played in Tokyo and it was a tough match,” said Cilic. “It’s a battle now between me, him, Berdych and Tsonga. I’m just hoping to continue with my good tennis and find a good way to play him this time.”

You May Also Like: Nishikori Claims 300th Win

With Rafael Nadal out for the rest of the season, ninth-placed Cilic is currently in line to qualify for the eight-man season finale at The O2, but must stay ahead of Tomas Berdych and Goffin this week at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Paris.

Cilic put himself in a strong position to qualify for the year-end championships for a second time after winning his second ATP World Tour title of the season last week in Basel, where he defeated Kei Nishikori in the final. The Croat first qualified at The O2 in 2014, the same year that he won his lone Grand Slam title at the US Open.

Watch Goffin Feature

Goffin leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Cilic 3-0, recording wins this year in Tokyo, Indian Wells and a Belgium-Croatia Davis Cup tie in March. But the indoor surface in Paris suits the big-serving Cilic, who will likely be able to earn plenty of short points off that shot. This will be the earliest round that they’ve played each other in an ATP World Tour event.

Goffin’s best result to date at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament is reaching back-to-back semi-finals earlier this year in Indian Wells and Miami.

“I’m just focused on what I have to do and I’ll play match by match,” said Goffin. “I can feel that it’s the end of the season and it’s never easy when you feel a little bit tired. But it’s a big tournament and my goal is to finish the season without any regrets. I’m just going to give everything until the end.”

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Johanna Konta beats Sam Stosur in opener at WTA Elite Trophy

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

British number one Johanna Konta made a winning start at the Elite Trophy, beating Australia’s Sam Stosur 6-4 6-2 in Zhuhai, China.

The tournament features the leading 12 players who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals in Singapore.

The players are divided into four pools of three, with the group winners qualifying for the knockout stage.

Konta, the top seed, will face world number 23 Caroline Garcia of France in her other pool game.

The Briton looked strong against 2011 US Open champion Stosur, breaking serve four times and dropping just one service game.

The 25-year-old is set to finish the year in the top 10, and would rise to number eight should she win the tournament in China without losing a match.

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Murray, Djokovic Headline Full Wednesday In Paris

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

Murray, Djokovic Headline Full Wednesday In Paris

Battle for No. 1 continues at BNP Paribas Masters

DAY 3 PREVIEW: The No. 1 and 2 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, headline a big Wednesday schedule at the BNP Paribas Masters. Overall, there are eight of the Top 10 seeds in second round action. Four Frenchmen are also on the order of play, including 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

All eyes will be on reigning three-time (four overall) BNP Paribas Masters champion Djokovic and Murray, who is the hottest player on the ATP World Tour since May. Murray, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final, has reached the final in 10 of the 11 tournaments he has played in the past six months, winning a career-best seven titles. Now Murray is within striking distance of becoming No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.

The 29-year-old Briton needs to reach the final with Djokovic losing before the semi-finals or Murray can also pass Djokovic by winning the Paris title over any opponent other than the Serb. Both players come into the tournament with 15-match winning streaks. Murray won a Davis Cup match (d. Pella) in September and then captured three straight titles in Beijing, ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai and Vienna. Djokovic has won 15 straight matches in Bercy since 2013. He has ranked No. 1 for 122 consecutive weeks since July 7, 2014 and 223 overall in his career.

Djokovic is the fourth match on Court Central against big-serving left-hander Gilles Muller, who is 0-3 (0-8 in sets) against the World No. 1. Muller is 9-35 lifetime against Top 10 opponents (2-4 this season). Djokovic is trying to post his 60th match win of the season and extend his streak to 10 consecutive years with 60 (or more) match wins.

You May Also Like: Gasquet, Raonic Advance In Paris Openers

In the evening session, Murray brings an 11-1 career record against Fernando Verdasco. Murray has won the past six meetings against the Spaniard since Verdasco’s lone win came in the 4R at the 2009 Australian Open. Murray has won the most matches (69) on the ATP World Tour this season and he’s looking to win 70 matches for the second straight year. He won a career-best 71 last season. Verdasco has 22 career Top 10 wins and his last win over a World No. 2 came against countryman Nadal at 2012 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid.

In the last match on Court Central, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka takes on German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff for the first time. Wawrinka is one of four players on the ATP World Tour this season to win at least four titles.

There are two spots remaining to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Six players in contention are in action, including Dominic Thiem, who is 7th in the Emirates ATP Race to London. Thiem is 2-0 against top American Jack Sock. Marin Cilic, who holds the 8th and final spot, takes on big-serving countryman Ivo Karlovic for the fifth time (tied 2-2). Karlovic leads the ATP World Tour this season with 1,121 aces. Top Belgian David Goffin, who is 400 points behind Cilic, opens against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut on Court 1. Goffin has won two of the previous three meetings, including a three-set QF in Metz in September.

View the Emirates ATP Race To London

Other Frenchmen in action are: No. 11 Tsonga (vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas), No. 13 Lucas Pouille (vs. Feliciano Lopez), and Gilles Simon (vs. No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut). Tsonga and Pouille are facing the same opponents for the second straight week. Last week in Vienna, Tsonga beat Ramos-Vinolas 62 76 in the quarter-finals and Pouille lost to Lopez 64 26 75 in the 1R (after holding match point). Simon owns a 3-1 head-to-head advantage against Bautista Agut.

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Frenchmen Keep London Hopes Alive

  • Posted: Nov 02, 2016

Frenchmen Keep London Hopes Alive

Home favourites trying to qualify for season finale

Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin kept their London hopes alive on Tuesday with a 2-6, 6-0, 10-6 win against Pablo Cuevas and David Marrero at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin are currently in 12th place in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, 875 points behind Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, who currently hold the eighth and final qualification spot into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

But Huey/Mirnyi lost in the first round in Paris, giving Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin an opportunity to make up ground at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. The Frenchmen will face fifth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the second round.

View the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London

Frenchmen Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga knocked out countrymen Jonathan Eysseric and Tristan Lamasine 7-5, 3-6, 10-7. Martin Klizan and Joao Sousa advanced past Fabrice Martin and Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-7(2), 10-7. Philipp Kohlschreiber and Dominic Thiem needed only 55 minutes to prevail against Paolo Lorenzi and Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 7-5.

You May Also Like: Gasquet, Raonic Advance In Paris Openers

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