Djokovic fights back to beat Basel champion Vacherot in Paris return

Novak Djokovic kept his ATP Finals hopes alive on Tuesday, recovering from the loss of a first-set tie-break to beat Basel champion Valentin Vacherot 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 on Court Central at the Rolex Paris Masters. The match lasted two hours and 34 minutes.

It was the seven-time Paris champion's first appearance at the event since he lifted the trophy in 2023, and it came against an opponent who had arrived in the French capital on a high. Vacherot won the Basel title on Sunday, beating Jiří Lehečka 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final, and climbed to No. 27 in the world as a result.

Vacherot strikes first, then fades

The man from Monaco started as if the quick turnaround from Switzerland was no problem at all. He held his nerve in a tight opening set and edged the tie-break to move ahead. Djokovic, seeded 10th, steadied in the second set and took it 7-5, and from there the momentum swung decisively. The Serbian broke Vacherot's serve repeatedly in the decider and surrendered only one game, with Eurosport's commentary noting that the seeded player had "taken the measure of his opponent" after two competitive sets.

The result levels their head-to-head at 1-1. Vacherot had beaten a physically hampered Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in the Shanghai semi-finals in October 2025 on the way to becoming the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history. Before Tuesday's rematch, Vacherot had said that facing the Serbian on the Paris Centre Court would bring "more adrenaline than pressure", recalling the "crazy good time" he had there a year ago.

Turin still requires a deep run

The win is only the first step in a demanding equation. Djokovic began the week 11th in the Race to Turin on 2,900 points, behind Rafael Jódar in ninth (3,194) and Alex de Minaur in tenth (3,170). According to Tennis Majors' calculations, Djokovic needs at least a semi-final in Paris to stay in contention, while only the title would guarantee him a place at the season finale, which runs from 15 to 22 November.

ATPLehecka saves match point to beat Struff and reach Basel final

Four of the eight places are already taken by Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev, with Jannik Sinner out for the rest of the season. That leaves Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, Jódar, De Minaur, Djokovic and Taylor Fritz among those fighting over the remaining spots.

Djokovic arrived in Paris in improved shape after a difficult 2026. He won his seventh Beijing title in October, the 102nd crown of his career, and before the tournament he linked his upturn to the easing of physical problems. "This year the focus shifted to feeling well on the court, because for most of the tournaments that I played... it was health-wise a big struggle," he said. "I'm just trying to enjoy the last couple of weeks of the season on the court, feeling better primarily. And then the performance will come."

Hijikata up next

Djokovic's next opponent is Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, ranked No. 83, who thrashed Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2 in just 64 minutes on Monday. It was Hijikata's third win over Darderi this season and his 16th match win of 2026, a career best. For Vacherot, a remarkable autumn ends with a Basel trophy and a three-set defeat that took the most decorated player in Paris history the full distance.