Julien Benneteau fell to as low as No. 696 in the Emirates ATP Rankings last January. After one of the great wins of his career, that seems far away.

The Frenchman thrilled his raucous home crowd at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday, eliminating seventh seed David Goffin, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final since Shanghai in 2014.

And as special a moment it was for Benneteau, it was devastating for Goffin. The Belgian could have clinched his first berth in the Nitto ATP Finals by taking out the Frenchman. But instead, he had to nervously await the results of other London contenders.

But luckily for the Belgian, 16th-seeded Jack Sock guaranteed Goffin’s spot in the year-end finale by defeating 17th-seeded Lucas Pouille, 7-6(6), 6-3. If Pouille continued on, it could have complicated qualifying scenarios for Goffin. But the 26-year-old became the seventh player to book his spot in the Nitto ATP Finals nonetheless. He appeared in the event last season as an alternate.

“I would have preferred to have qualified by winning my match and Lucas is a friend, but I am still so happy to have qualified,” said Goffin. “It is every player’s dream to make the (Nitto ATP) Finals and it is my first time there, so I can’t wait to get to London!”

Before Thursday’s loss, Goffin led his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Benneteau 1-0, having defeated him in the first round of this year’s US Open in four sets. Their only other meeting came at an ATP Challenger Tour event in 2011, which Benneteau won.

Benneteau will play the winner of third seed Marin Cilic and another London hopeful, No. 14-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, who contest the final match of the day on Court Central.

Sock will play Fernando Verdasco, who maintained his good form, upsetting fifth seed Dominic Thiem, 6-4, 6-4.

For the American, it is a major opportunity to turn around the end of his season. He arrived in Paris having lost three of his past 10 matches. And it looked like the slump would continue when he fell behind Kyle Edmund 1-5 in the third set in Wednesday’s second round. But ever since, Sock has been on a roll, taking out the rising star from Great Britain before ousting the home favourite, Pouille, eliminating any chance the Frenchman had of earning his first London berth.

While his hopes are still slim, Sock can give himself a chance to qualify for the year-end finale for the first time by winning the title in Paris. He would need help from other London contenders to earn the event’s final spot.

Sock won his only past FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Verdasco in Stockholm two years ago.

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“At 31 years old, you’re the oldest player to finish the year at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.”

“Really?”

After beating Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-3 in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters to ensure he finished the year as World No. 1 for the fourth time in his career, Rafael Nadal was in awe to learn that he is the oldest player to achieve that feat since the Emirates ATP Rankings were established in 1973.

“It was an amazing year, just amazing,” said Nadal, who also finished atop the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2008, 2010 and 2013. “I never would have imagined I would end up as No. 1 at the end of the season again. Finishing the year as No. 1 means a lot to me. It wasn’t one of my goals going into the season — far from it. After returning from a difficult period in my career and battling through injuries, this wasn’t on my mind.”

Nadal’s climb back to the top would have been hard for anyone to predict. In January, when he returned to the ATP World Tour at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp after closing his 2016 following the Asian swing, looking to recover from his left wrist injury, Nadal began the year ranked No. 9. By August, the Spaniard was ranked No. 1 leading into the US Open and had clinched his 10th French Open title. After claiming the US Open crown and a successful campaign in Asia, in which he won the China Open and was runner-up to Roger Federer at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, finishing the year at the top suddenly seemed realistic.

“When the opportunity (to end the year at No.1) presented itself, it became my goal,” Nadal said. “The Asian swing was very important for me, because the points I gained during that time were valuable.”

Returning to the top spot at a certain point in the year and actually ending the year at No. 1 are two separate accolades, according to Nadal, and the Spaniard feels it’s extra special to close out the year as the best player in the world.

“Being No. 1 for a part of the year is great, that’s obvious, but ending the year No. 1 is even better,” Nadal said. “The two things are beautiful and important, but without a doubt there’s a big difference, if you ask me. In the end, this is like a league and when you finish a year as No. 1, it means you were the best player for that season.”

Nadal is also aware of what it means to be the oldest player to end the year on top, considering he’s had to battle back from numerous injuries throughout his career.

“It means many things,” the 16-time Grand Slam champion said. “It means that I’ve had a very long and successful career. It means that I have maintained my form. It means that I have kept the desire to play, despite the adversities that come with injuries. It means a lot after all I’ve been through. When I receive the trophy in London [for ending the year at No. 1], it will be an exciting time for me because I thought it would not happen again.”

Ending 2017 as No. 1 means Nadal achieves another milestone in tennis history: More than nine years have passed since the first time (2008) and the most recent time he accomplished the feat (2017) — an incredible testament to his longevity.

“The gap between the first time I finished No. 1 and now is very wide,” Nadal said. “Therefore, it also means a lot to be able to continue playing at this level for so long.”

Nadal has now set his sights on two more goals to close out the year: to claim this week’s Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals — two titles that have so far eluded him.

“Now I can try to do my best to end the season without thinking about it,” said Nadal. “Playing without that tension loosens me up to fulfill other objectives. The season is not over. I’m in Paris, possibly the most important city of my career. I want to give it my best and close out the year with even more success.”

Juan Martin del Potro continued his march towards a Nitto ATP Finals spot on Thursday when he defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-4 for a place in the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals for the third time (also 2009, 2013).

The popular Argentine, who was at No. 47 in the Emirates ATP Race To London prior to the start of the US Open, is now up to No. 10 on 2,595 points — only 20 points behind Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta (2,615), who sits in the last automatic qualification berth.

Del Potro, the No. 13 seed this week, has gone 20-4 since 28 August and will now look to move past Carreno Busta with a victory on Friday over sixth-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or ninth seed John Isner of the United States.

In recent weeks, Del Potro has captured his 20th tour-level title at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Dimitrov) and finished runner-up at the Swiss Indoors Basel (l. to Federer). He has a 38-15 mark on the season.

The 29-year-old Del Potro has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals on four previous occasions (2008-09, ’12-13), highlighted by a run to the 2009 title match (l. to Davydenko). The season finale begins at The O2 in London on 12 November.

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Juan Martin del Potro is still in the hunt for a place in the Nitto ATP Finals. The Argentine kept his chances of playing in the year-end tournament alive by defeating Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2 in his opening match at the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday. Still, it’s his health that remains his top priority.

“I’m tired, but I’m still on track to achieve my goal for the year,” del Potro said after reaching the last 16 of the final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the season, where he’ll face Robin Haase on Thursday. “Five weeks ago, I was [No. 47] in the Emirates ATP Race to London. Today, I’m in a different situation, but my ultimate goal remains the same: to finish the year healthy.”

Del Potro is proud of his recent form and values the fact he’s been able to stay active. Since his semi-final run at the US Open, del Potro has played in Beijing, Shanghai, Stockholm, Basel and now Paris, where he’s competing for one of the two finals spots in London. His busy schedule is in stark contrast to past years, when injuries plagued him and he cut his seasons short.

“It’s the first time in several years that I’ve been healthy enough to play this many tournaments in a row,” del Potro said. “Last year, I didn’t even play here. I think I’ve played more matches than anyone since the US Open this year.”

Del Potro has taken steps to maintain his conditioning and to guarantee his longevity. The 29-year-old, who has undergone four wrist surgeries, is aware he needs to be in peak physical condition to keep pace with the top players on the ATP World Tour.

“I’ve been working on my stamina and in other areas to stay in shape and to keep evolving,” del Potro said. “I feel like I’m improving every week since my return. I happen to compete in a very competitive era. It’s a privilege to have the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray as rivals, but in another era, I might have had more Grand Slam wins on my record.”

With momentum now on his side and health issues finally behind him, del Potro relishes the chance to play in the Nitto ATP Finals if he can clinch his spot this week.

“I would love to be in London,” del Potro said. “I’m making a very strong effort to be there; I’m putting myself through a lot, but I’m enjoying every minute of it. After that, I can think about vacation, but if I can finish this year in good health, I’ll be very excited for 2018.”

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups for Day 4 of the Rolex Paris Masters and vote for who you think will win!
Nadal vs. Cuevas | Thiem vs. Verdasco | Del Potro vs. Haase

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It was a disappointing Wednesday for a couple of Nitto ATP Finals contenders. But David Goffin, who is the next player in line to qualify for the year-end finale, continued his push for a first London appearance after playing last season as an alternate.

The Belgian managed to battle past an in-form Frenchman playing in front of his home crowd, eliminating Adrian Mannarino, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

The victory put Goffin within one match of guaranteeing his spot at The O2 from 12-19 November, as he has to reach the quarter-finals to clinch his year-end finale berth. Next in his path to London will be a home favourite, Julien Benneteau. Goffin won their only past tour-level meeting at this year’s US Open in four sets.

The 26-year-old was always the frontrunner to take one of two spots remaining in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals. But he has benefitted from losses by his nearest competitors. The three players directly below him at the start of the week are all out of the Paris draw: No. 9 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 11 Sam Querrey and No. 12 Kevin Anderson.

Grigor Dimitrov, who already qualified for his first Nitto ATP Finals, continued his career-best season with an emphatic 6-4, 6-4 triumph against the in-form home favourite, Richard Gasquet.

The Bulgarian will achieve a new-career high Emirates ATP Ranking next week of, at the very least, No. 7. If he manages to win his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season (Cincinnati), Dimitrov will rise to No. 3 in the world, five spots better than his previous career-high of No. 8, where he is in the standings this week. Dimitrov faces a stiff test next in ninth seed John Isner, as the pair has split their two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, with three of four sets going to tie-breaks.

Marin Cilic, like Dimitrov, gained more momentum as the Nitto ATP Finals approach, eliminating compatriot Borna Coric, 6-4, 6-3.

Cilic will next face a familiar foe in Roberto Bautista Agut, who ousted French qualifier Jeremy Chardy in the final match of the day, 6-4, 6-1. The Croatian owns a 3-1 lead in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series, which includes a lopsided victory at Wimbledon this year, where Cilic dropped just six games over the match’s three sets. If Bautista Agut will have any chance of qualifying for his first Nitto ATP Finals, he will have to win the title in Paris.

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