Novak Djokovic overcame a scare late in the second set to beat big-serving Valentin Vacherot 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday.
The men’s record 24-time Grand Slam winner is chasing his 103rd career title, which would move him level in second place with Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors leads the Open era with 109.
But the 10th-seeded Serb could have exited early in Paris. Serving at 4-4 in the second set, he saved three break points to keep Vacherot from serving for the match at the indoor tournament. Vacherot had won the Swiss Indoors on Sunday and beat Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters semifinals last year.
“His second serves are faster than my first serves, so it’s very tough to play a guy in these conditions, which are really, really fast,” Djokovic said. “Last year was very slow, this year is like ice.”
Djokovic struggled to handle the Monaco player’s “huge” serves, which produced 22 aces.
“For a set and a half, I had difficulty reading his serve,” Djokovic said. “Even if I guessed right, it was coming with some speed.”
Djokovic Breaks Late to Seize Control
After breaking Vacherot to level the match, Djokovic broke him again at the start of the deciding set to take the momentum. He closed it out on his second match point with a fine two-handed backhand winner down the line from the back of the court.
Both players took a medical timeout during the second set. Djokovic received massage on his right shoulder, and Vacherot had his left ankle strapped.
Shelton, Fritz and Other Results
Also on Tuesday, third-seeded Ben Shelton advanced to the third round by beating fellow left-hander Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4. The win gave Shelton his 42nd of the season, matching his best total of the year.
The American has added Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach, to his team for 2027. Shelton has already secured a spot at the Nov. 15-22 ATP Finals, along with top-ranked Alexander Zverev, seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic is chasing a spot at the Finals but is an outsider in 11th place in the race. The ATP said he needs to reach at least the semifinals in Paris to stay in contention, with only an ATP 250 event in Stockholm remaining after Paris.
No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz beat Benjamin Bonzi 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In other first-round matches, French teenager Moïse Kouame, a fan favorite at this year’s French Open, lost 6-3, 6-1 to Nuno Borges. The 2022 champion Holger Rune lost 7-5, 6-4 to No. 12 seed Tommy Paul.
Rune is still working his way back from an Achilles injury. The 23-year-old Dane returned to action in September and lost to Vacherot in the quarterfinals last week at the Swiss Indoors.
Third-Round Matchups
In the third round on Wednesday, Zverev faces mercurial Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Djokovic plays qualifier Rinky Hijikata, second-seeded Alcaraz takes on Alex Michelsen, and No. 4 seed Medvedev plays Ignacio Buse.