Can Rune's Paris Magic Help Him Earn Spot In Turin?

One year ago, Holger Rune won the biggest title of his career at the Rolex Paris Masters. This year in Paris, he will try to secure his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Rune enters the season’s final ATP Masters 1000 in the final qualifying position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The 20-year-old leads ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz by 215 points with two weeks to go in the regular season.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (29 October)

Player	Points
6) Stefanos Tsitsipas	3,875
7) Alexander Zverev	3,460
8) Holger Rune	3,280
9) Hubert Hurkacz	3,065
10) Taylor Fritz	3,055
11) Casper Ruud	2,815
12) Tommy Paul	2,620

Hurkacz had a golden opportunity to close the gap to just 15 points on Sunday in the Basel final, but the Pole lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in two tie-breaks. The 2021 Turin competitor now has ground to make up if he is to move into a qualifying position.

There are several intriguing sections in the Paris draw that could lead to matches with significant Live Race consequences. One example is that Rune could play 10th-placed Taylor Fritz in the third round.

The American, who made the semi-finals at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals, is 225 points behind Rune. A third-round win against the defending champion would not propel him past the Dane, but it would limit Rune to just 90 points for the week and give him an opportunity to make up significant ground with a deep run. However, if they play in the third round and Fritz loses, he would be eliminated from Turin contention.

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Another consequential third-round matchup could pit Hurkacz against 2022 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up Casper Ruud. Both former season finale competitors are currently on the outside looking in.

The two players next in line to qualify are sixth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas and seventh-placed Alexander Zverev, who lead Rune by 595 points and 180 points, respectively. Tsitsipas is trying to qualify for the fifth consecutive year and Zverev for the sixth time.

They could also meet in the third round in Paris. If they meet and Zverev loses, that could put the German under pressure from players trying to move into a qualifying position.

Five singles players have earned their spot in Turin: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev. The Top 8 players in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin after the final week of the regular season, on 11 November, will qualify for the year-end championships.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/pbyWziX