The battle for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November, all comes down to the final seven days of the regular ATP World Tour season at the Rolex Paris Masters this week.

There are currently 12 singles players competing at the final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year mathematically in contention for a place at the season finale – from Belgium’s David Goffin at No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Race To London to Diego Schwartzman of Argentina at No. 26.

Goffin, a winner of two ATP World Tour titles from four finals in 2017, is in pole position to make his debut in London. He could clinch the seventh spot in the eight-player field by reaching the Paris semi-finals.

Pablo Carreno Busta (No. 9), Sam Querrey (No. 11), Kevin Anderson (No. 12) and the in-form Juan Martin del Potro (No. 13) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 14) would also seal their place at the Nitto ATP Finals by lifting the Paris trophy.

Lucas Pouille, last week’s winner of the Erste Bank Open 500 crown, Roberto Bautista Agut, John Isner, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Jack Sock and Schwartzman all have a chance by winning Paris. But their qualification will also depend upon the results of other contenders.

View Emirates ATP Race To London

In the doubles battle for qualification, Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers hold the final automatic qualification berth. Currently at No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Race To London, the Croatian-Spanish team will book their spot in London by reaching the Paris final. They could also qualify by advancing to at least the Paris quarter-finals as long as Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram don’t win the title.

Klaasen and Ram, last year’s runners up at the Nitto ATP Finals, would need to reach the final to stand a chance of qualifying. Two other teams, Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, and Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez, need to win the Paris title to compete in London.

View Emirates ATP Doubles Team Race To London

A LOOK BACK
China International Suzhou (Suzhou, China): It has been a banner year for junior stars making the transition to the ATP Challenger Tour. In June, Felix Auger-Aliassime won his first title in Lyon, France. In July, it was Nicola Kuhn’s turn in Braunschweig, Germany and in September, Wu Yibing lifted the trophy in Shanghai. On Sunday, former junior No. 1 Miomir Kecmanovic earned his maiden title in Suzhou, China, defeating Radu Albot 6-4, 6-4.

One week after falling in the first round in Ningbo, the Serbian did not drop a set in streaking to the title in Suzhou, upsetting four seeded opponents along the way. He is the youngest from his country to win on the circuit since Novak Djokovic in 2005. Players from Serbia have now accounted for a tour-leading 12 titles this year.

The reaction says it all! 18 year old ?? Miomir Kecmanovic claims a thrilling match point to lift his first #ATPChallenger trophy in Suzhou. pic.twitter.com/04gHfIxqQ2

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 30, 2017

Open Brest Arena Credit Agricole (Brest, France): Home hope Corentin Moutet gave French fans plenty to cheer about in Brest. The unseeded wild card claimed his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(8) in one hour and 38 minutes. It was the first all-teenage final of the year, with Moutet joining Kecmanovic as 18-year-old winners on Sunday. The Frenchman moves up 64 spots to a career-high No. 160 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, while the Serbian soars 85 positions to No. 209.

It was an impressive week for Moutet, who rallied from a set down on two occasions: upsetting defending champion Norbert Gombos in the first round and edging Yannick Maden in the semis. He is the fifth different French titlist this year, joining Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Mathias Bourgue and Calvin Hemery.

Latrobe City Traralgon Challenger (Traralgon, Australia): Even Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a week like this for Jason Kubler. After sitting on the sidelines for more than a year due to injury, Kubler claimed the title in Traralgon in what was his first ATP Challenger Tour event since July 2015. It was a fairytale week for the Aussie, who came through qualifying to capture his second Challenger title. He saved one match point to edge countryman Alex Bolt 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(3) in two hours and 28 minutes in Sunday’s final.

Kubler’s victory is even more astounding considering it came on hard courts. The 24 year old, a former junior No. 1, has endured a career of knee issues that have only allowed him to compete on clay. In fact, he had never played a Challenger match on hard entering the week. Kubler would go on to upset third seed Taro Daniel and second seed Matthew Ebden – both in straight sets – en route to the championship. He vaults 266 spots to No. 349 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

.@JasonKubler caps a fairytale week in Traralgon, claiming the title in his first #ATPChallenger in more than two years. Saves 1 MP to d. Alex Bolt 26 76(6) 76(3). pic.twitter.com/ojI5rVKG1S

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 29, 2017

Hung Thinh Vietnam Open (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam): Former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny returned to the Top 100 thanks to another successful week on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Russian veteran went back-to-back in Ningbo and Ho Chi Minh City, defeating John Millman 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in Vietnam’s largest city. The win not only saw Youzhny extend his win streak to 10 straight, but nearly assured the 35-year-old a main draw berth at the Australian Open in January.

Read & Watch: Santillan, Purcell Visit Ben Thanh Market In Ho Chi Minh City

Lima Challenger (Lima, Peru): Gerald Melzer did not drop a set all week in Lima, claiming his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year. He ousted Jozef Kovalik 7-5, 7-6(4) in the final, marking his sixth crown in total. The Austrian is making a late-season push towards a Top 100 return, moving up 19 spots to No. 119.

.@GeraldMelzer is the champion in Lima, claiming his sixth #ATPChallenger title and first of the year with a 75 76(4) win over Jozef Kovalik. pic.twitter.com/nITuWhvyRc

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 30, 2017

A LOOK AHEAD
Once again, five tournaments are on the slate this week. All are in different continents. The U.S. indoor swing gets underway in Charlottesville, with defending champion opening against top seed Tennys Sandgren in a blockbuster first round clash. In Shenzhen, China, Youzhny looks to make it three titles in three weeks, while Kecmanovic eyes a second straight crown.

Jordan Thompson is the top seed on home soil in Canberra, Australia, while Ruben Bemelmans joins Tommy Robredo and teens Moutet, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur in Eckental, Germany. Lastly, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, second seed Nicolas Kicker is the defending champion and accompanied by Victor Estrella Burgos and #NextGenATP star Casper Ruud.

No. 16 Lucas Pouille, +8
Lucas Pouille captured the biggest crown of his career on Sunday at the Erste Bank Open 500 to rise eight positions to No. 16 in the Emirates ATP Race To London. The 23-year-old defeated fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 6-4 for his fourth ATP World Tour crown. With the victory, Pouille became the first player in 2017 to win on all surfaces, adding a hard-court crown in Vienna to triumphs on the Gazprom Hungarian Open clay in Budapest and on grass at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.

Tsonga, who is at No. 14 in the battle for the two remaining spots for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals, leads the ATP World Tour this year with a 20-3 mark indoors. He had been bidding to become the first Frenchman to win at least five singles titles in a single season since Guy Forget won six in 1991.

Finals Contenders Jostle To Qualify
Twelve players – from David Goffin at No. 8 to No. 26-ranked Diego Schwartzman – all have a mathematical opportunity to clinch one of the two remaining qualification berths for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November, based on their performances at the Rolex Paris Masters. Read More

Juan Martin del Potro, at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, maintained his fine run of form following his 20th crown at the Intrum Stockholm Open by advancing to the Swiss Indoors Basel title match (l. to Federer). The popular Argentine rose one place (to 2,415 points) last week and is 190 points behind Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta (2,605 points), who sits in the final automatic qualification berth.

Other Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber, +5
No. 49 Kyle Edmund, +11
No. 68 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, +11
No. 81 Marton Fucsovics, +25
No. 82 Stefanos Tsitsipas, +11
No. 83 Gilles Simon, +7
No. 84 Mikhail Youhzhny, +14
No. 85 Julien Benneteau, +11
No. 100 Blaz Kavcic, +8

Richard Gasquet has been one of the most consistent players on the ATP World Tour over the last decade-plus, finishing inside the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in eight of the past 12 seasons. At the elite ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level, the Frenchman has reached three finals, finishing runner-up in Toronto twice (2006 l. Federer, 2012 l. Djokovic) and Hamburg once (2005 l. Federer).

This series has also provided the stage for a couple other notable career highlights. Fifteen years ago, Gasquet made his tour-level debut as a 15-year-old at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, when he became the youngest player ever to qualify for a Masters 1000. Three years later at the same tournament, he saved three match points en route to an upset win over World No. 1 Roger Federer in the quarter-finals – a moment that remains one of his best career memories. 

He spoke to ATPWorldTour.com about that match, and also reflected on why the Masters 1000s are so tough.

Which Masters 1000 host city is your favourite and why?
I want to say Paris-Bercy because it’s in Paris and it’s the last tournament of the year. My family and friends are there.

Which Masters 1000 would you most like to win?
It would be the same. It would be incredible to win at home in France in front of a French crowd. It’s a dream to win there.

What’s your favourite court/conditions at a Masters 1000 tournament?
I think Indian Wells is great. You have many great courts, a lot of big courts, great facilities there. For me, it’s one of the best tournaments in the world.

Is there a win at a Masters 1000 tournament from your career that stands out?
Yes. I had three finals: in Toronto two times and one in Hamburg many years ago. It would be great for me to win one, and I’m still able to do it so I’ll try my best to do it.

I know you’ve been asked about it a lot, but I’d like to talk about that 2005 win when you beat Roger Federer in Monte-Carlo. What did that mean to you?
I think that’s one of my best memories because I was 18 years old, I was [ranked] 100 in the world and he was No. 1. Nobody expected me to win and I did it. It was such a great surprise for me, so of course it’s one of my best memories.

What’s the toughest part about Masters 1000s? A lot of people say they’re harder than Grand Slams because you go straight into big matches.
Yeah, I would have to say the same. In the first round, you can play Top 20 guys. It’s crazy; it’s the biggest ever you can get. It’s a Masters 1000 so that’s why it’s so tough in the first round – you can play one of the best players in the world. It’s very difficult to win matches in this kind of tournament.

Who stands out to you as a great Masters 1000 competitor?
It’s easy to say, it’s [Novak] Djokovic and [Rafael] Nadal because they’ve won [30 titles], so of course, especially on clay for Rafa and the other tournaments for Novak. They’re the biggest players to face there.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN PARIS

1. The Home Stretch: All eyes this week are on the Rolex Paris Masters, where two spots in singles at the Nitto ATP Finals, one spot in doubles, and the year-end No. 1 ranking are all on the line.

2. One for One: Rafael Nadal will clinch year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with one win in Paris or London. The Spaniard is seeking his fourth finish as World No. 1 and a record 31st ATP Masters 1000 title. While Nadal is a 10-time Roland Garros champion, he has never won Paris’s other tour-level event. His only run to the Rolex Paris Masters final came in his debut 10 years ago.

3. Four No More: The ‘Big Four’ of Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic has won 84 per cent of all ATP Masters 1000 events since 2005 (97 of 116). However, Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov broke through earlier this season for the biggest titles of their respective careers. Zverev won ATP Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Montreal before Dimitrov reigned in Cincinnati.

4. Paris to London: Joining Nadal, Zverev and Dimitrov at the Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals are Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem. Cilic has reached semi-finals this autumn in Tokyo, Shanghai and Basel, but Thiem has never advanced to a semi-final after September.

5. Flights on Hold: David Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta are next in line to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Since the US Open, Goffin is 16-4 and Carreno Busta is 1-4. Both men are attempting to qualify for their first year-end championships, though Goffin played as an alternate last year.

6. Last Chances: Carreno Busta isn’t the only contender struggling down the stretch. Kevin Anderson is 3-4 since playing in the US Open final, while Sam Querrey is 2-3 this autumn. Carreno Busta leads Querrey by 80 points and Anderson by 135 in the Emirates ATP Race to London.

7. Making His Move: Juan Martin del Potro has risen from No. 47 to No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race to London since the US Open. Del Potro, a four-time qualifier at the Nitto ATP Finals, controls his own destiny. If he wins his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris, he will return to London.

8. French Hopes: Among the other Nitto ATP Finals contenders are Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Lucas Pouille, two of 10 Frenchmen in the Paris field. Tsonga must reach the Paris semi-finals to give himself a shot at qualifying, while Pouille must advance to his first ATP Masters 1000 final. Pouille defeated Tsonga in Vienna on Sunday for the biggest title of his career and 500 race points.

9. Doubles Update: Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers won the Basel title on Sunday to earn 500 race points. They can clinch the last available doubles spot at the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the Paris final, among other scenarios. Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals runners-up, trail Dodig and Granollers by 470 points in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London.

10. Milan in Sight: The Rolex Paris Masters features five men bound for the Next Gen ATP Finals: Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov, Borna Coric and Hyeon Chung. They will be joined in Milan on November 7-11 by Jared Donaldson, Daniil Medvedev and a wild card.

Four-time ATP World Tour titlist Paul-Henri Mathieu has played his final singles match. The 35-year-old Frenchman announced his retirement on Sunday, following his defeat to Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Mathieu turned professional in 1999 and reached a career-high of No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2008.

“I knew that when I started the year it was going to be my last one, because I’m 35 and I’ve had a lot of injuries. I have a family. When you have one kid you can manage it a little bit, try to make them come. But when you start to have two kids, it’s too complicated,” Mathieu said.

“I’m 35. Ten, 15 years ago I would have never thought I would have played that late. I’m lucky playing until this age. I think it’s time. One year or more is not going to change anything for me, and I want to spend time with the family.”

Mathieu enjoyed his breakout season in 2002, winning his first two ATP World Tour titles in back-to-back weeks. Mathieu won Moscow, beating World No. 4 Marat Safin in the semi-finals, and then headed to Lyon, where he beat Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten for the title.

“It was two crazy weeks. I was young at this age. It was a great moment,” Mathieu said.

The 21-year-old Mathieu also reached the fourth round of his home Grand Slam, Roland Garros in 2002, and led American Andre Agassi two sets to one before falling in five.

Mathieu’s peers honoured him as the 2002 ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year. “It was a big year for me,” Mathieu said.

Five years later the right-hander would double his title haul, again winning two titles in the same season – in Gstaad and Casablanca, both on clay. The third and fourth titles of his career would help him ascend to his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 12 in April 2008. Mathieu finished 4-6 in ATP World Tour title matches.

“It’s difficult to feel when you are in the peak of the career. You always hope for more. When you’re 12 I was hoping for 10, and when you’re 10 you hope for 5. It never ends I think,” Mathieu said.

Injuries hobbled Mathieu throughout his career, but never more so than from 2010-12. He missed 14 months because of an injury to his left knee that required surgery.

Mathieu said he may stay involved in the tennis industry but for the immediate future, he plans to spend more time with his wife, Quiterie, and their two children, Gabriel, 5, and Ines, who is seven months old.

The Frenchman isn’t finished with tour-level action just yet. He will play doubles at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Paris, partnering countryman Benoit Paire.