Paris Masters 2024: Rublev loses to Cerundolo in heated affair, local hope Mpetshi Perricard hits 28 aces

Sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev lost two tiebreakers and his temper as his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals took a hit on Tuesday at the Paris Masters.

Facing Francisco Cerundolo in the second round at the indoor tournament, Rublev lost 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) after a match that lasted more than two hours. Rublev was so frustrated at one point in the second set that he smashed his racket against his left knee at least seven times in succession. Video footage showed the outburst left his knee bleeding.

The Russian player held the eighth and final qualifying place in the race for the season-ending ATP Finals and could be overtaken by rivals this week.

The ATP said that Taylor Fritz became the fifth player to qualify on Tuesday, making it to the season-ending tournament for the second time in the past three years. The indoor event gathering the top eight players of the season will take place in Turin, Italy, from Nov. 10-17.

Fritz joined Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in the field.

Sinner pulled out of the Paris Masters on Monday, citing a virus. The Italian player is guaranteed to finish the year as No. 1. Sinner was the second high-profile player to pull out following seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

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Earlier Tuesday, big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France hit 28 aces on his way to defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Fresh from winning the title in Basel, Mpetshi Perricard also had 13 double-faults but never dropped his serve against the 14th-seeded American player.

Mpetshi Perricard converted his sole break point to win his first match at a Masters 1000 tournament.

The Frenchman, who started the year ranked 200th, rose to a career-high ranking of No. 31 on Monday.

According to ATP statistics, Mpetshi Perricard has served 512 aces in just 27 matches this season. He will play Karen Khachanov or Christopher O’Connell in the second round.

On a good day for local players, Arthur Fils also progressed to the second round by edging Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-4. He’ll next take on Jan-Lennard Struff, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2.