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Sixth seed next faces Schwartzman
Casper Ruud further improved his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday at the BNP Paribas Open as he extended his winning streak to nine matches, saving all eight break points he faced as he overcome Lloyd Harris 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round in Indian Wells.

The Norwegian captured his fifth tour-level title of the season in San Diego and first on hard last week to move to eighth (2,925 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. It left Ruud 150 points ahead of ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz before Indian Wells began and further clear of #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner (2,505) in 10th and Felix Auger-Aliassime (2,320) in 11th, who fell to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round.

Ruud will be targeting a deep run at the BNP Paribas Open on his main draw debut at the ATP Masters 1000 event as he aims to make his debut at the season finale, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.

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"It was a very tough match and I was fortunate to get through in the end,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “There were only some points here and there that decided this match. I saved a lot of break points and in crucial points I stepped up my game.

“It was frustrating because Lloyd was playing well and I was not really feeling the groove like I felt in the first match and in the end I was fortunate to get through.”

The 22-year-old raised his level in the crucial moments against Harris, hitting with great depth from the baseline to advance after two hours and 53 minutes and improve to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head Series.

On his resilience, Ruud said: "“It is quite a simple quote my dad told me when I was young. He used to go to an academy called Rick Macci and he would always tell my father that losers find excuses and winners find a way. This is a quote my dad has been telling me for many years. You always try to find a way. Today I did. I was down pretty much the whole match and I found a way luckily.”


Ruud has enjoyed a standout season, clinching titles in Geneva, Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbühel alongside his San Diego triumph. He has won the most tour-level trophies this year and became the first Norwegian to crack the Top 10 in September.

The sixth seed will next face Diego Schwartzman after the Argentine battled back in Indian Wells for a second time this tournament, overcoming 18th seed Daniel Evans 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the fourth round in Indian Wells for the first time.

The 29-year-old, who is making his fourth appearance in California, saved two match points in his second-round victory over Maxime Cressy and backed this up against Evans, rallying from a set and 2-4 down to advance after two hours and 53 minutes.

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With his victory, Schwartzman now leads Evans 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head Series after also defeating the Brit in the first round at the Western & Southern Open in August.

Earlier this season, Schwartzman, who is currently No. 15 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, captured the fourth tour-level title of his career on home soil in Buenos Aires. The Argentine arrived in Indian Wells in good form, after reaching the quarter-finals in San Diego at the start of October.

Evans was making his third appearance in Indian Wells and, like Schwartzman, was attempting to advance to the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open for the time.

Djokovic eyes year-end FedEx ATP No. 1 Ranking

It could be make or break for Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Nitto ATP Finals chances this week at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The 21-year-old sits 12th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin – 11th in Rafael Nadal’s absence – and remains in contention for the 14-21 November season finale at the Pala Alpitour with a deep run. A loss to Italian qualifier Gianluca Mager on Tuesday in a first-time ATP Head2Head meeting would end his Turin hopes.

The ninth seed has compiled a 35-22 record this season, including two finals at the Murray River Open in Melbourne and Stuttgart, and reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open. He found success in doubles at Paris-Bercy last year when he teamed with Hubert Hurkacz for the title over Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares.


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Since his defeat to eventual champion Medvedev in New York, the Canadian has compiled a 2-3 record. He is attempting to make up ground in Paris, following a costly opening-round defeat to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Indian Wells, but has a confidence-boosting win to his name over fellow Nitto ATP Finals hope Cameron Norrie in Vienna last week.

Five-time champion Novak Djokovic will play his first match since falling to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final when he takes on Marton Fucsovics in the second round. The top seed holds a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against the Hungarian, including a win in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year, en route to his 20th Grand Slam singles triumph.

Djokovic has made clear his intentions of a record seventh year-end FedEx ATP No. 1 finish, which would break the tie he holds with Pete Sampras. His only challenger, Medvedev, must reach at least the quarter-finals in Paris to keep the battle alive, while a sixth Paris title for Djokovic would seal top spot for 2021.


“I have had plenty of success in Paris-Bercy over the years, so that gives me enough reason to believe that I can do well, and I can go far in the tournament,” Djokovic said. “But having said that, the lack of match play could be dangerous, so I have to really make sure that I start off my first match very well with a good intensity and build my form as that match passes on and hopefully get a win and get myself more comfortable on this court and just getting that match play in.”

World No. 40 Fucsovics landed a second win from five ATP Head2Head meetings against Fabio Fognini in a third-set tie-break in the opening round. The 29-year-old remains within reach of his best year-end FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 36, which he achieved three years ago.

Casper Ruud currently holds down seventh spot in the FedEx Race To Turin and could book his berth with a strong showing in Paris. The five-time titlist this season is just 90 points ahead of eighth-placed Jannik Sinner and begins his campaign against Alexander Bublik, a narrow winner over Daniel Evans. Ruud, who could book his Turin ticket with a run to the final in Paris, has won both prior ATP Head2Head encounters with Bublik.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Paris after reaching his first ATP 500 semi-final in Vienna last week. The 18-year-old beat Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini back-to-back before he fell to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.

The World No. 35 faces Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert for the first time in the opening round. Alcaraz was among the first four players to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan after he reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open, a run which included a win over World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Norwegian collects 52nd match win of the year
Playing with the weight of the world on his shoulders, Casper Ruud shrugged off some nervous moments in the first set against the dangerous Alexander Bublik before powering home to a 6-4, 6-0 win to reach the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters Tuesday.

The Norwegian, who claimed his 52nd match win of the season, leads the chasing pack of contenders hunting the final two berths at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be played 14-21 November in Turin.

Bublik is a streaky opponent who is this year’s aces leader (809 coming into Paris-Bercy) according to Infosys ATP stats. So when the Kazakhstani claimed Ruud’s opening service game, the World No. 8 had reason to be concerned.


“I got broken in the first game, which put me under pressure right away because he's a strong server who can hit some unbelievable returns as well,” Ruud said. “He hits big and got a couple of winners at the beginning and I wasn't completely ready. But I fought back and played very solid from 3-4 down in the first set."

Ruud broke World No. 36 Bublik as often as his opponent served aces (six times) and dropped serve just once more himself, winning the final nine games of the match to add a valuable 80 points to his FedEx ATP Race To Turin total. The Norwegian admitted that the dream of playing in Turin has been on his mind, but that he has managed to keep his nerves in check.

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"I was a little nervous in the beginning today but I haven't felt unbelievable pressure. I'm just happy to be in this situation,” said Ruud, who has won five titles this season, a record he shares with Alexander Zverev. “Things are looking good but a lot can happen in the next two weeks.

"So many players behind me are playing well. Sinner has been playing great in recent weeks, Hurkacz is a great indoor player. It's great to be part of the tight race and in two weeks we will know."

Ruud will have a day off Wednesday before taking on the winner of Diego Schwartzman and Marcos Giron for a place in the quarter-finals.