Swede wild card Elias Ymer picked up his second win at the Intrum Stockholm Open – and his fifth victory of 2018 – on Monday, beating German Maximilian Marterer 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. 

Ymer broke when Marterer tried to serve it out at 5-4 in the third. And on match point, with Marterer serving at 5-6, the German served and volleyed and hit a backhand volley into the open court. But Ymer ran it down, and on the dead run, clipped a forehand down the line for the win.

The 22-year-old Swede will next meet fourth seed and two-time finalist Jack Sock of the U.S. In the only other main-draw match of the day, American Denis Kudla beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 7-5. Kudla will next meet South Korea’s Hyeon Chung or countryman Taylor Fritz.

Watch: Ymer Visits Ethiopia

Frenchman Adrian Mannarino battled past Russian wild card Evgeny Karlovskiy 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) on Monday to set a second-round showdown with top seed Marco Cecchinato of Italy at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Mannarino withstood 15 aces and converted only one of his 12 break points against the 24-year-old Karlovskiy.

In other action, Czech qualifier Lukas Rosol beat Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and will next meet third-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. Slovenian Aljaz Bedene saved eight of 10 break points and beat Serbian Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(2).

Vasek Pospisil set up a second-round showdown with fellow Canadian Milos Raonic at the European Open after a confident 6-3, 7-5 win over Argentine Leonardo Mayer Monday in Antwerp. Pospisil, 28, fired 10 aces and dropped just 10 points in 11 service games, winning an impressive 82 percent of points on his first and second serve.

Despite spotting his opponent 17 years in age, left-handed Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez had the measure of 20-year-old #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-4, 7-6(5) after hitting 18 aces. Lopez did not concede a break point chance. He converted just one of seven opportunities on Tiafoe’s serve en route to the second round, where he awaits the winner of German Jan-Lennard Struff and French lucky loser Constant Lestienne.

American Mackenzie McDonald, who took out Raonic in the Shanghai first round last week, defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-6(8). And in the only other main-draw match Monday, Jiri Vesely saved the lone break point he faced against #NextGenATP Spaniard Jaume Munar. The Czech next faces fourth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Did You Know?
Pospisil needs just two more match wins to reach 100 career victories.

Novak Djokovic just gets better and better this second half of 2018. The 31-year-old Serbian, who won his 32^nd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, brought his “Big Title” haul to 51 with the straight-sets victory against Croatian Borna Coric.

Djokovic leapfrogged Rafael Nadal, who has 50, on the all-time Big Titles list. Swiss Roger Federer still leads Djokovic by two “Big Titles” – a combination of Grand Slam, Nitto ATP Finals and Masters 1000 crowns.

But the Serbian is gaining ground, and quickly. Djokovic has won 18 consecutive matches and 27 of his past 28, dating back to Wimbledon. In Shanghai, he didn’t drop his serve once, holding all 47 times at the season’s penultimate Masters 1000 event. It’s the first time Djokovic has never been broken en route to a title.

“This was definitely one of the best service weeks that I had in my career,” Djokovic said. “I have never played on faster courts here in Shanghai, so this year more than ever I needed a lot of success with the first serves in.”

Djokovic won his fourth Shanghai title and 32^nd Masters 1000 crown, placing him within one of Nadal’s all-time mark of 33. Djokovic, however, has been the most opportune of the all-time greats. He has won 51 Big Titles from 170 opportunities, a conversion rate of 3.3.

Nadal has a strike rate of 3.5 from 174 tournaments, while Federer has won a ‘Big Title’ every 4.2 chances (53/220).

Who would have guessed this in March when Djokovic admitted to feeling lost on the court against Japan’s Taro Daniel at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells?

“Look, I think you’re seeing the new Novak. I don’t need to describe him. That’s all I can say,” Djokovic said in Shanghai. “I had to reinvent myself and find the proper formula for success. I found it and I’m just trying to hold on to it as long as I can.”

With two more Big Titles up for grabs in 2018, Djokovic might finish the season on top of the Big Titles leaderboard – and atop the ATP Rankings. The Serbian moved into No. 2 in the ATP Rankings on Monday and is currently only 215 points behind No. 1 Nadal.

If Djokovic finishes year-end No. 1 for the fifth time, he would make history: No player has climbed from as low as he was earlier this year — No. 22 on 21 May — to No. 1 in the same season. The closest was Andre Agassi, who jumped from No. 14 in May 1999 to the top spot later that season.

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.