Editor’s Note: Following this match, Stan Wawrinka announced that after hurting his lower back in the final game of his victory, he will be unable to compete in Friday’s quarter-finals. Roger Federer receives a walkover into the semi-finals.

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka survived a spirited effort from Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

If there were any doubts as to how much this match meant to Wawrinka, the Swiss star’s massive roar after Tiafoe shanked a forehand volley to end the battle answered them. The 34-year-old needed two hours and 34 minutes to dispatch the American and advance to the last eight of his home ATP 500 event for the fifth time. 

Tiafoe, the 2018 Delray Beach champion showed his variety of skills in his first meeting against Wawrinka, utilising his speed and athleticism throughout, while also going after his forehand from the baseline when he was presented with opportunities. Tthe Swiss even complimented his younger adversary when at one point he launched a forehand winner that registered at more than 100 miles per hour.

But in the second and third sets it felt as if Wawrinka was moving closer to a decisive breakthrough. Tiafoe saved all five break points he faced in the second set, coming up with clutch serves and fearless play. But despite converting just 12 of his 14 break points in the match, Wawrinka seized the moment at 6-5. Tiafoe dangerously came in to Wawrinka’s backhand with a slice approach on match point, allowing the Swiss plenty of time to rip his trademark shot, giving the American no time to react.

Wawrinka’s best previous performances in Basel came in 2006 and 2011, when he advanced to the semi-finals. The seventh seed is also trying to keep his ATP Race To London hopes alive. Currently in 14th place, Wawrinka, who trails eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini by 660 points, is trying to make his fifth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are set to reunite next week at the Rolex Paris Masters, where they will look to stop the run of in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev in the ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 title of the 2019 ATP season. The 23-year-old Medvedev has reached six straight finals, including three at Masters 1000-level. He finished up runner-up to Nadal in Montreal, before claiming back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Shanghai. 

Another Russian, Karen Khachanov, claimed his first Masters 1000 title last year in Paris by reeling off four straight Top 10 wins. He defeated John Isner, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem before upsetting Djokovic, a four-time Paris champion. Djokovic had earned his place in the final by prevailing against Federer in a semi-final thriller, named the Best Match of 2018 by ATPTour.com. “We had epic matches throughout our rivalry but this one definitely ranks as one of the best matches we played,” said the Serbian. 

Nadal, who recently wed longtime girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello, makes his return to main draw action for the first time since defeating Medvedev in the US Open final. He will be attempting to win a record-extending 36th Masters 1000 title and his first in Paris.

The ATP Race To London culminates at the Rolex Paris Masters, and Nitto ATP Finals defending champion Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini lead the charge to clinch the final two singles spots at The O2. Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin, Fabio Fognini and Gael Monfils will also look to press their claim with 1,000 ATP Race To London points up for grabs in Paris. 

Here’s all you need to know about the Paris tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1986

Tournament Dates: 28 October – 3 November 2019

Tournament Director: Guy Forget

Draw Ceremony: Friday 25 October, at the Bridge Alexandre III (from 7:00pm, TBC)

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 10:00am, Sunday at 11:00am
* Main draw: Monday – Thursday at 11:00am and 7:30pm, Friday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, Saturday at 11:45am
* Doubles final: Sunday, 3 November at 12:15pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 3 November not before 3:00pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: AccorHotels Arena
Main Court Seating: 15,000

Prize Money: € 5,207,405 (Total Financial Commitment: € 5,791,280)  

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Novak Djokovic (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan (4)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 30, in 2012
Youngest Champion: Boris Becker, 18, in 1986
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 50 Tomas Berdych in 2005
Most Match Wins: Novak Djokovic (32)

2018 Finals
Singles: Karen Khachanov (RUS) d [2] Novak Djokovic (SRB) 75 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Rajeev Ram (USA) d Jean-Julie Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) 64 64  Read & Watch 

Social
Hashtag: #RolexParisMasters

Facebook: @rolexparismasters
Twitter: @RolexPMasters
Instagram: @rolexparismasters 

Download the official #RolexParisMasters‘ new mobile app ! >> https://t.co/klvh3gUltn pic.twitter.com/FRdnn6u2OR

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 21, 2019

Did You Know…The ‘Tree of Fanti’ trophy, sculpted by Italian artist Lucio Fanti, bears the name of the winners on the trunk. The two branches show how the two sides of the draw played out. “When I was asked to create a work to commemorate the centenary of Roland Garros, the tournament organisers sent me the draws and results from down the years,” says Fanti. “When I turned one of the pieces of paper 90 degrees and by starting the players off at the top, you ended up with the winner alone at the bottom. Overall, it looked like a tree, so all I had to do was imagine it in 3D.”

Dominic Thiem beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco for the first time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series to reach his third Erste Bank Open quarter-final on Thursday.

The top-seeded Austrian benefitted from more home support in his comeback 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Verdasco, who had beaten Thiem all four times they had played, including earlier this year on clay in Rome. Thiem is through to his 11^th quarter-final of the season and 49^th since 2016, which is best on Tour.

Most Quarter-finals In Past Four Years

The World No. 5 was broken in his opening service game. But he won 97 per cent of his service points (36/37) in the second and third sets to win his 42^nd match of the season. The Nitto ATP Finals qualifier will next meet Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals.

Russian Andrey Rublev avenged his 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals title match defeat to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung 6-4, 6-2. Rublev saved the only break point he faced and will next meet Nitto ATP Finals hopeful Matteo Berrettini of Italy.

Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman also clinched a quarter-final spot, ousting American Sam Querrey 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(5) despite Querrey’s 23 aces. Schwartzman will face second seed Karen Khachanov. Aljaz Bedene beat Gilles Simon 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and will face Gael Monfils, who gained revenge against #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner with a 6-3, 7-6(8). 

Sinner beat Monfils last week en route to the European Open semi-finals, but Monfils hit 17 aces and won 83 per cent (40/48) of his first-serve points to advance. The Frenchman led 5/1 in the second-set tie-break but had to save a set point at 7/8 before clinching the quarter-final appearance.

Stefanos Tsitsipas avoided an upset bid on Thursday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, rallying past Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 tournament. It is the Greek’s 13th quarter-final of the season, equalling Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut for the ATP Tour-lead.

Berankis has not made an ATP Tour quarter-final since Dubai, but the World No. 70 had momentum on his side against Tsitsipas, leading 7-6(4), 1-0 and earning a 0/30 advantage on Tsitsipas’ serve. But the third seed maintained his composure, and dominated his service games the rest of the match to triumph after two hours and one minute.

After reaching the Citi Open semi-finals in August, Tsitsipas lost five of six matches and appeared to be struggling for form. But the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who has booked his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals 10-17 November for the first time, has bounced back well over the past month. The 21-year-old made the China Open final and the Rolex Shanghai Masters semi-finals, and that confidence showed in his victory against Berankis.

After some uncharacteristic errors from Tsitsipas allowed the Lithuanian to earn the first set, the Greek buckled down and raised his level. Although Berankis played inspired tennis and competed well with the World No. 7, Tsitsipas’ variety of weapons proved too much to overcome in the big moments. On his first match point, Tsitsipas fired a cross-court forehand that Berankis could not handle, celebrating with a fist pump.

Tsitsipas only faced one break point in the match, and he won 75 per cent of his second-serve points, preventing Berankis from going on the offensive unless he did so from tough positions. The Greek will next face ATP Race To London contender Fabio Fognini or Serbian Filip Krajinovic.

Berankis was trying to claim his third Top 10 win (2-10), with his two previous triumphs coming against Milos Raonic, including a first-round upset in Basel three years ago. If Berankis defeated Tsitsipas, it would have been the fourth straight year in which a qualifier had made the quarter-finals or better in Basel.

Ugo Humbert won’t be missing out on the Next Gen ATP Finals this year. The 20-year-old left-hander booked his ticket to the award-winning tournament on Thursday following the withdrawal of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (left ankle).

Here are five things to know about the talented Frenchman, who’s leading the country’s #NextGenATP hopefuls.

1. He has steadily climbed the ATP Rankings
Last October, Humbert had just cracked the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. But this year, he’s made it his permanent home.

The 20-year-old hit a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 46 in July and, since 7 January, has never seen a triple-digit number next to his name.

“I work hard. I am very much focussed,” Humbert said. “I just try to carry on and deal with myself. It’s more important to focus on my own career rather than looking around.”

More Milan Qualifications
Ruud Will Make Maiden Milan Showing
Tiafoe Is Coming Back To Milan
Shapovalov Books Return Trip

2. He excels off the court as well
The Frenchman relaxes after a day of training by playing the piano 30 to 45 minutes every day. The habit helps take his mind off tennis.

He started playing piano when he was about five years old at the urging of his parents. Now he always travels with his keyboard, and the French Tennis Federation has a piano at his training facility in Paris.

“I try to play as often as I can,” Humbert said. “I really enjoy playing, and it is very relaxing. During those moments, I don’t think about anything else.”

Watch Hot Shot: Humbert Strikes Past Shapovalov In Lyon

3. He made history at SW19
Humbert had never played a professional match on grass before this season. But who said experience was a prerequisite to making the second week of Wimbledon? Humbert beat #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to make the Round of 16, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

“I’m very happy about this match. Felix is a great player and a good friend, so I was really happy to share the court with him. For sure, it will be the next generation and the future,” Humbert said.

He became the 43rd man in the Open Era to make the Wimbledon fourth round on debut. Only five other players have accomplished the feat in the past 10 years.

Men To Reach Wimbledon R16 On Debut In Past 10 Years

4. Grass and indoors are his favourite conditions
Humbert’s flat style excels in quick and low-bouncing conditions, such as on grass and at indoor events. The 6’2” left-hander is 6-4 at tour-level this year on grass, including his Hall of Fame Open semi-final run in Newport in July. Indoors, Humbert is 7-6 at tour-level, which includes two other semi-final runs, at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille and the European Open in Antwerp.

More About Humbert
Humbert Returns To Winning Ways In Lyon
Moving On Up: Challenger Stars Make Transition
Humbert Continues Run Of Form In Marseille

5. He narrowly missed out on Milan one year ago
A late surge by Hubert Hurkacz saw the Pole leapfrog Humbert in the final 2018 ATP Race To Milan standings and qualify for the 21-and-under event. But not this year: Humbert is ready to make his debut and become the first Frenchman to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Speaking earlier this year, Humbert shared how much the accomplishment means to him: “It is one of my goals this year to participate and be one of the best young players,” he said. “I will give everything in order to be there this year.”

Roberto Bautista Agut kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday, but fellow London contender David Goffin fell in the Erste Bank Open second round.

Bautista Agut, who is attempting to join Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev as first-time qualifiers at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 over one hour and 44 minutes in Vienna.

In recording his 40th match win of the season, the Spaniard not only advanced to his 13th tour-level quarter-final, but also added 45 points to further strengthen his position of ninth in the ATP Race To London tally (2,530 points).

View Basel Singles Draw

Earlier in the day, Goffin, runner-up at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals (l. to Dimitrov) and 11th in the Race (2,325 points), could not find a way to break the serve of American Reilly Opelka and paid the price.

Opelka hit 29 aces in a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over the 2014 Vienna finalist in two hours and 25 minutes for a quarter-final clash on Friday against Bautista Agut.

Bautista Agut is just 40 points away from eighth-placed Italian Matteo Berrettini (2,570 points), with two singles berths left up for grabs at the Nitto ATP Finals. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Tsitsipas have already booked their London tickets.

Miomir Kecmanovic will finish the best season of his young career at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. The 20-year-old Serbian qualified for the 21-and-under event on Thursday following the withdrawal of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (left ankle).

1. He knows Novak Djokovic well.
The two share a hometown of Belgrade and, if they’re playing at the same tournament, often they’ll practise together. When he was a kid, Kecmanovic looked up to Djokovic and Roger Federer. The 20-year-old has benefitted from Djokovic’s advice.

“Obviously sometimes you don’t feel like doing anything. You feel like not practising or maybe quitting. And to hear [Djokovic] saying, ‘No, you have to keep going. Push through it,’ give some encouraging advice like that, I think that helped me a lot,” Kecmanovic said.

But, as Djokovic said in the below Miami video, he won’t be giving Kecmanovic any of his Grand Slam trophies.

Watch: Kecmanovic Grills Federer, Djokovic & More

2. He’s had to rewrite his goal for 2019.
Kecmanovic, who started the year at No. 131 in the ATP Rankings, had only one goal for the 2019 season: Finish in the Top 100. He crossed that off the list in March when he cracked the Top 100 at No. 95, and in September, Kecmanovic reached a career-high of No. 47.

The Serbian won’t be able to improve his ATP Ranking in Milan as the tournament doesn’t offer ATP Rankings points, but Kecmanovic will be eyeing the Top 30 in 2020.

More Milan Qualifications
Ruud Will Make Maiden Milan Showing
Tiafoe Is Coming Back To Milan
Shapovalov Books Return Trip

3. He enjoyed a breakout week in the desert.
Kecmanovic had just one tour-level win before the BNP Paribas Open in March, and he needed two people to withdraw for him to even play in the main draw of the season’s first ATP Masters 1000 event.

Two people pulled out, though, and Kecmanovic became the first lucky loser to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals since the Masters 1000 series began in 1990 (l. to Raonic). With such luck, Kecmanovic made plans to play the lottery. “I’m going to get a ticket because this is just nice.”

Kecmanovic later reached his first ATP Tour final in Antalya before losing to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. “It’s an ATP [Tour event]. Everybody knows how to play tennis. Everybody’s good,” he said. “It’s definitely exciting that I was able to come through… I hope that I can keep up playing the way I did and that’s all I can ask of myself.”

More On #NextGenATP Kecmanovic
Kecmanovic Upsets Zverev In Cincy For First Top 10 Win
The Secrets To Kecmanovic’s 2019 Rise
Kecmanovic Feeling So Lucky He’s Ready To Play Lottery

4. He moved away from his parents when he was 13.
Kecmanovic left Belgrade when he was 13 to train full-time at the IMG Academy in Florida.

“It was weird in the beginning, moving away from home, dropping everything, literally everything that I had back home, and leaving my parents behind,” said Kecmanovic, who saw his parents – both doctors – about twice a year once he moved. “But I knew… that I had to do it. Because if I stayed at home, I wouldn’t have the same practices or coaches or everything, in general.

“If I didn’t go there, I don’t think that I would be here today.”

Kecmanovic certainly had no shortage of players to hit with once he moved to the U.S. The very first pro he shared a court with was 6’5” Max Mirnyi, who retired last year after a 22-year professional career that included 50 tour-level doubles titles. “I’m happy that I had him, somebody so experienced to have to talk to sometimes,” Kecmanovic said.

5. He had the best off-season of his life last year.
Last off-season, Kecmanovic practised with Dominic Thiem, German Jan-Lennard Struff and others for three weeks at Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The then-teenager was tested mentally and physically.

“It was tough at the beginning. I was struggling,” Kecmanovic told ATPTour.com. “We had three weeks as we moved, hit, hit and hit more. Towards the end I was adjusted and it felt pretty good.”

The experience changed his mindset and opened his eyes as to how hard some of the best players on Tour work.

“I really got to see how the top guys play and see their level. After qualifying for [the Australian Open] I think I just started to believe more that I could do it, that I belonged there,” Kecmanovic said. “It started to go my way.

“[My belief] was definitely something that I was thinking about, but it’s different when it actually happens and [you keep up with them], then you start to believe it when you see that it’s happening. When it started, it was maybe one match, two matches. [Then] I saw that I could play at this level.”

The ATP has announced the appointment of Andrea Gaudenzi as ATP Chairman for a four-year term, beginning 1 January 2020.

Following a highly accomplished professional career on the ATP Tour during which he won three ATP titles and reached a career-high ATP Ranking of 18, Gaudenzi has forged a successful career in business over the past 15 years and was the unanimous choice of the ATP Board of Directors.

The 46-year-old Italian brings a wealth of experience across a wide range of sectors including sports marketing, entertainment, data, technology and media. Most recently, Gaudenzi was instrumental in his role on the Board of ATP Media, leading the successful restructuring of the business which serves as the broadcast arm of the ATP Tour.

“The ATP has played a central part in my life in so many ways, and to be given this opportunity to serve as ATP Chairman is a true honour,” said Gaudenzi. “I look forward to overseeing the future direction of the Tour and building on the sport’s global success and popularity at what is unquestionably one of the most exciting times in the history of men’s professional tennis. I’m very thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started in January.”

Gavin Forbes, ATP Board Tournament Representative, Americas, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Andrea as the next Chairman of the ATP. Following a first-rate career as a player, Andrea has excelled in various roles away from tennis. He offers the rare combination of knowing the business of the ATP Tour inside out, as well as benefitting from invaluable experience away from the sport. He will be able to hit the ground running in January and has all the attributes required to build on the significant growth of our business in recent years.”

Alex Inglot, ATP Board Player Representative, Europe, said: “Andrea offers a compelling range of attributes and experiences inside and outside the sport that will position him very well as we seek to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our organisation. The ATP Tour is a unique 50-50 partnership between players and tournaments, and Andrea’s broad experience across both sides of our membership, as well as a proven track record away from tennis, were exactly what we were looking for as a Board.”

Novak Djokovic, President of the ATP Player Council, said: “On behalf of the players, I’d like to welcome Andrea as the next Chairman of the ATP. As a former player, he has walked in our shoes, and has also become a successful entrepreneur following his playing career. He has all the qualities to lead the Tour and we look forward to working together for the benefit of the players and the sport more generally.”

After his playing career, Gaudenzi obtained a law degree from the University of Bologna, Italy, followed by a Master of Business Administration at the International University of Monaco where he graduated with honours.

More recently, he has held leadership positions at several start-up entertainment, tech and gaming businesses in London, including Musixmatch and Soldo, as well as serving on the Board of ATP Media.

With a wide range of candidates from within sport and beyond under consideration for the role, the appointment of Gaudenzi concludes an extensive leadership recruitment process undertaken over the past six months by the ATP Board, with the assistance of global leadership advisory and executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

Roger Federer is a master at building momentum. Rafael Nadal is the king of killing it if it’s flowing against him.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 from the 2019 season focusses on players winning three points in a row when serving to surge to 40/0, and also losing three in a row to drop into a precarious 0/40 hole.

Serving: Getting To 40/0
So far in the 2019 season, Federer wins the opening three points of his service game almost 38 per cent of the time – well above the Top 10 average of 32 per cent. In second place is World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is following closely behind at 36.21 per cent (256/707).

The other two players who have won three points in a row to start their service games more than a third of the time are Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Current Top 10: Winning Three Consecutive Points To Go To 40/0

Serving: Avoiding Falling To 0/40
Nadal is best of the current Top 10 at not losing three points in a row and falling to 0/40 in his service games this season. Only 2.26 per cent (15/664) of the time does Nadal find himself in a 0/40 hole.

Federer comes in second at 2.40 per cent, while Djokovic is not far away in third place at 3.39 per cent. The Top 10 average falling to 0/40 just 4.31 per cent (308/7140), or around one in 23 service games.

Current Top 10: Losing Three Consecutive Points To Go To 0/40

It’s important to note that the Big Three – Federer, Nadal, Djokovic – are the leading three players in both categories. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where they create their separation from the rest of the Top 10. Here’s one such specific example.