Grigor Dimitrov barely put a foot wrong on Thursday in one of his best performances of the year for a place in the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals. The Bulgarian ended the six-match winning streak of fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes.

Dimitrov competed with great urgency throughout, and combatted Thiem’s aggression in the Austrian’s bid to work his way back into the match. Dimitrov’s willingness to attack the net reaped dividends early on and he quickly took a 4-1 lead. The 32-minute first set ended when Thiem hit a forehand return wide.

Dimitrov, who had advanced to the Paris third round for the seventh straight year, broke Thiem in a 10-minute third game of the second set courtesy of a volley error. Thiem pressed, but Dimitrov hit big from behind the baseline and snatched another break for a 4-1 advantage. Serving for the match at 5-2, 40/0, Dimitrov hit his first double fault, but it was a momentary lapse in concentration for the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion.

According to Hawkeye, Dimitrov did his best to step into the court and dictate with his forehand. The Bulgarian was pinned deep in his backhand corner when Thiem engaged him in cross-court backhand rallies. But whenenver he was able to, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion stepped in to play aggressively with his forehand, hitting his forehand five kilometres per hour quicker on average (127 vs. 122 kmh) than the big-hitting Thiem. 

Dimitrov took 41 per cent of his forehands inside the baseline, an area in which Thiem only found himself hitting forehands 29 per cent of the time.

Dimitrov & Thiem’s Forehand Hit Points

Dimitrov also controlled play with his serve, winning 88 per cent of his first-serve points, while Thiem won just 64 per cent of his. Dimitrov interestingly attacked Thiem’s forehand return in the deuce court, going there 58 per cent of the time. Thiem managed to put just 50 per cent of his first-serve returns in play throughout the match.

Dimitrov’s First-Serve Placement

Thiem, a winner of an ATP Tour-best five trophies in 2019 and a 46-17 match record, will now prepare to focus on competing at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. Last week, he captured the Erste Bank Open crown.

Dimitrov will next face Cristian Garin, who saved three match points in the first completed singles match of the day to book a place in his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The Chilean, who has lifted two ATP Tour trophies this year, battled back from a 3/6 deficit in the deciding set tie-break to earn a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6) victory over French qualifier Jeremy Chardy in two hours and 24 minutes. The pair had split their two previous meetings in 2019 at Houston and Bastad.

Garin saved the first match point at 6/3 with a forehand approach winner, then hit an ace at 4/6. Chardy was hesitant to attack the net when serving at 6/5 and mis-timed a forehand.

– Hawkeye data and visuals courtesy ATP Media

A treasured rivalry will get its latest chapter on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters when second seed Rafael Nadal meets No. 16 seed Stan Wawrinka as part of a stacked third-round lineup. Nadal looks to remain on course for his first title at the AccorHotels Arena, which would also clinch the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking for him.

“I’m very happy to be able to compete again at a good level,” Nadal said. “Tomorrow is another day, another tough match against Stan. Every day in this tournament is so difficult, so let’s see if I’m able to play another good match.”

Nadal holds a convincing 18-3 lead over Wawrinka in their Fedex ATP Head2Head rivalry and has won their past five matches, all in straight sets. The Spaniard is on a 12-match winning streak and exuding confidence in his game, continually finding ways to step up in the crucial moments of a set.

But Nadal knows he can’t rely on his past success against Wawrinka for their latest clash. Wawrinka’s most recent victory over his rival came at this event four years ago. The Swiss has also been in top form lately, prevailing in 11 of his past 13 matches since the start of the US Open.

After competing against each other for more than a decade on the world’s biggest stages, there will be no secrets when they meet on Court Central. Their game plans will likely remain similar to their other 21 matches, but it will come down to who can execute them most effectively.

“I do not want him to play his game, which means I need to make sure I don’t let him be in a position where he can hit hard,” Nadal said before the 2017 Roland Garros final, their most recent meeting in Paris. “I will have to do everything I can to keep him from playing aggressively. If I can play long balls, if I can hit hard… I think I will be hopefully able to control him. Easy to say, but it may not be that easy to do.”

The match is also a must-win for Wawrinka if he wants to return to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. The Swiss needs to take the title in Paris in order to have a shot at grabbing the last remaining qualifying spot.

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Top seed Novak Djokovic continues his quest for a fifth Paris title against Brit Kyle Edmund. The Serbian leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 4-1. Djokovic needs a big week in Paris in order to keep his hopes alive for a sixth year-end No. 1 finish. He trails Nadal by 1,280 points in the ATP Race to London, which acts as a barometer for who will finish the year at No. 1, but can close the gap significantly with the 1,000 points on offer for the winner this week.

“I understand that I need to play better and feel better to have a chance to go far in this tournament and, as a result of that, to have a chance to still be in the battle for No. 1,” Djokovic said. “But, again, it doesn’t depend only on me. It depends on [Nadal]. But my focus is on me.”

Two other London hopefuls are also in action on Thursday. Frenchman Gael Monfils, the No. 13 seed, squares off with Moldovan Radu Albot. Monfils will return to The O2 if he can reach the final this week. Aussie Alex de Minaur takes on seventh-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in an all-#NextGenATP battle. De Minaur must take the title in Paris in order to have a shot at qualifying.

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head match between these players?#RolexParisMasters

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2019

Other notable matches on Thursday include sixth-seeded German Alexander Zverev, who clinched the seventh qualifying spot for London, battling #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem looks to get ahead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, which is currently tied 2-2.

ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY 31 October 2019
COURT CENTRAL start 11:00 am
[Q] Jeremy Chardy vs Cristian Garin (CHI)
[5] Dominic Thiem vs Grigor Dimitrov
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Kyle Edmund (GBR)

Not Before 5:00 pm
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [16] Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
[13] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs Radu Albot (MDA)

Court 1 start 11:00 am
Karen Khachanov (RUS) / Andrey Rublev (RUS) vs Marcus Daniell (NZL) / Philipp Oswald (AUT)
[8] Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)
[7] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur (AUS)
[6] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Austin Krajicek (USA) vs Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Denis Shapovalov (CAN)

Click here to view the rest of Thursday’s schedule

Alexander Zverev has become the seventh singles player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. The 22-year-old German will make his third straight appearance alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2019 field.

Last year, Zverev captured the biggest title of his career at the Nitto ATP Finals, becoming the first player to beat both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the 10 years that both men were in the field (2007-15, 2018). He was the first German titlist since Boris Becker in 1995 and the youngest year-end champion since Djokovic, aged 21, in 2008.

“I am really happy to qualify for the third consecutive year,” said Zverev. “Winning the title there last year has been the highlight of my career so far. I have such great memories of The O2.”

Buy Your London Tickets

Zverev, who secured his place in the eight-player field after a number of London contenders bowed out in second-round action Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, has notched 40+ match wins for the fourth consecutive season.

The Monte-Carlo resident clinched his 11th ATP Tour trophy in May, winning three consecutive three-set matches at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open that culminated in saving two match points against Nicolas Jarry in the final. He also finished runner-up at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (l. to Kyrgios) in March and at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (l. to Medvedev) earlier this month. Additionally, he advanced to the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the second successive year.

Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who is looking to clinch his first spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, sits in eighth position in the 2019 ATP Race To London. Frenchman Gael Monfils, Swiss Stan Wawrinka and Australia’s Alex de Minaur also remain in contention for the final singles berth with less than one week to go of the regular ATP Tour season.

Seven doubles teams — Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, this year’s Wimbledon and US Open champions, who will receive the year-end No. 1 doubles trophy at The O2 next month, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, and Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut — have qualified for the doubles season finale.

The ATP’s crown jewel event is to be held at The O2 in London through to 2020, where it has been staged to wide acclaim since 2009. The event has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide, broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million each year.

The battle for year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings is officially on. Rafael Nadal, in his first tour-level match since 21 September, held off France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday night at the Rolex Paris Masters to maintain his 1,280-point lead over Novak Djokovic in the ATP Race To London.

Djokovic beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet earlier Wednesday and is looking to pass Nadal in the Race and finish as the year-end No. 1 for the sixth time. But Nadal controls his destiny. If the Spaniard wins his first Rolex Paris Masters crown, he will end the year No. 1 for the fifth time.

Mannarino hung tough during the 59-minute opener, erasing Nadal’s first three set points as the Paris fans tried to will their man to the upset. Nadal is playing in Bercy for the first time since 2017 and only the seventh time overall, and he owns only one indoor hard-court title (2005 Madrid).

But, despite Mannarino mixing up his first-serve location well, Nadal took the opener when the Frenchman netted a backhand. The Spaniard broke once more, just in time, in the 10th game of the second set when Mannarino made back-to-back unforced errors.

Nadal will next meet Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who edged Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in just under two hours. It will be their 22^nd FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (Nadal leads 18-3), and their first on indoor hard courts since the 2015 Nitto ATP Finals (Nadal won 6-3, 6-2).

Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury continued their hot streak on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, moving into the second round with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Robin Haase/Wesley Koolhof.

Ram/Salisbury, who took the title last week in Vienna (d. Kubot/Melo), have won nine of their past 11 matches. Earlier this week, they clinched their team debut at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

Seventh seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut powered past Hubert Hurkacz/Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals. The reigning Australian Open champions will take on fellow French duo Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin or Divij Sharan/Artem Sitak in the next round. Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies also moved into the last eight by cruising through Marin Cilic/Pablo Cuevas 7-6(3), 6-1.

Maximo Gonzalez and Austin Krajicek scored the shock of the day with a 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-8 first-round win over third seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo. Second seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos avoided an opening-round upset by rallying to defeat Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau 3-6, 6-3, 10-4. Rohan Bopanna/Denis Shapovalov opened their week with a 6-4, 7-5 win against Benoit Paire/Fernando Verdasco.

Novak Djokovic held off an upset bid on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters to keep alive his hopes of finishing as the year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

Djokovic saved two set points in the opening set and broke #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet as the 20-year-old served for the opener before returning to his usual form and advancing 7-6(2), 6-4.

“I didn’t feel health-wise 100 per cent in the last couple of days, but it is what it is. It’s not the first time I didn’t play at a really high level. Lots of errors, especially in the first set,” Djokovic said. “First time against a young player who is talented, very quick. Returns a lot of balls back that usually other guys wouldn’t get, he gets it. And he was pumped, and I respect his fighting spirit.

“It was a good match in the end, and I found a way to win, which in [these] circumstances… when you’re not feeling your best, is important.”

Djokovic, serving at 3-5, erased both set points – 30/40, Ad-Out – despite a fervent French crowd pulling for Moutet. The next game, a nervy Moutet sprayed a forehand wide to give Djokovic the break to 15. The Serbian sprinted through the tie-break as Moutet grew frustrated.

Moutet gained one of two breaks back in the second set and forced Djokovic to serve it out at 5-4, but the Serbian did so with ease to reach the third round of the season’s final ATP Masters 1000 event. Djokovic was more aggressive than Moutet all match, hitting nearly three times as many balls inside than court than the Frenchman.

Djokovic Rally Hit Points

Moutet Rally Hit Points

“I’m disappointed. I enjoyed myself playing very much against Novak with the crowd [cheering] us,” Moutet said. “There are a few opportunities that I missed, but next time.”

He will next meet Briton Kyle Edmund, who beat 14^th seed Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 7-5, 6-3. Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-1, with Edmund’s win coming on clay at the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open.

The Serbian needs to finish fewer than 1,500 ATP Race To London points behind Nadal to have a chance at ending the year in the top spot for the sixth time. He is currently 1,280 Race points behind Nadal, who controls his fate when it comes to year-end No. 1. Should the Spaniard win his first Masters 1000 Paris title, he will finish year-end No. 1 for the fifth time.

“I understand that I need to play better and feel better to have a chance to go far in this tournament and, as a result of that, to have a chance to still be in the battle for No. 1,” Djokovic said. “But, again, it doesn’t depend only on me. It depends on him. But my focus is on me.”

– Hawkeye data and visuals courtesy ATP Media

John Isner served up another big season in 2019, retaining his title as the year-end ace leader on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Isner holds the top spot in the Infosys ATP Scores & Stats this year with 1,032 aces, marking the seventh time (2010, 2012-2013, 2016-19) he’s accomplished the feat. He’s finished on top of the annual ace tally for four consecutive years, breaking the record he shared with Goran Ivanisevic.

Isner’s Year-End Leading Ace Tally

Fellow American Reilly Opelka led this year’s tally by seven aces going into Paris. But with Opelka wrapping up his season last week in Basel, Isner retained his title with 25 aces in his opening-round match in Paris against Chilean Cristian Garin.

Earlier this month at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the 34-year-old reached 1,000 aces, a number which he’s hit on six different occasions and every year since 2015. Isner averaged 22 aces per match this season, up from 17 in 2010.

He’s also still in contention to finish his career as the all-time ace leader. The American is second on the all-time list with 11,944 aces throughout his career, but trails Ivo Karlovic by 1,608 aces. However, the 34-year-old Isner is six years younger than the Croatian and likely has several more years to make up ground.

Isner wrapped up his season with a 30-18 record, including a title in Newport (d. Bublik) and runner-up finish at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami (l. to Federer).

As part of Infosys ATP Match Stats, ATP began recording ace tallies in 1991. The tally comprises aces hit in singles main draw matches from ATP World Tour tournaments, Grand Slams and the Olympics (from 2008 on). Aces in Davis Cup competition are not included.