Djokovic wins to set up Russian clash
Six-time champion Novak Djokovic will meet former tournament winner Karen Khachanov in the third round of the ATP Paris Masters 1000, after both men came through their matches in the French capital on Tuesday.
Djokovic saw off American rival Maxime Cressy in straight sets, 7-6 (7-1) 6-4, as the Serb extended his current winning streak to 10 matches following title successes in Astana and Tel Aviv earlier this month.
The Serb will next play Khachanov in the third round, after the Russian overcame Swiss rival Marc-Andrea Huesler in three sets, 6-3 4-6 6-4, in their meeting.
Khachanov, 26, was the 2018 champion in Paris, when he beat Djokovic in the final.
Djokovic, however, has won the hard-court showpiece a record six times – including on each of the last two occasions he has appeared in it.
In total, the 35-year-old is unbeaten in his last 10 matches at the Paris Masters, dating back to his title runs in 2019 and 2021.
Djokovic missed the 2020 edition of the tournament, which was won by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
In his head-to-head rivalry with world number 19 Khachanov, Djokovic boasts a 7-1 advantage over the Moscow-born player, winning their last six meetings.
The most recent of those came in the quarterfinals of the Astana Open earlier in October, when Djokovic prevailed in straight sets on his way to the title.
Elsewhere in Paris, Russian world number nine Andrey Rublev kept his hopes alive of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals with a 6-2 6-3 win over big-serving American rival John Isner.
Rublev, 25, is currently seventh in the race to claim one of the eight spots available for the ATP Finals in Turin later this month.
His nearest challengers are Taylor Fritz of the US and Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, both of whom are still in the Paris Masters draw.
Rublev will play the winner of the match between Hurkacz and Holger Rune of Denmark in the third round of the tournament.
Russian world number three Medvedev has already qualified for the ATP Finals, and he starts his Paris campaign against Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the second round on Wednesday, having been given a bye in the first round.
Medvedev, 26, entered this year’s tournament in Paris on the back of title success at the Vienna Open last weekend.
