Djokovic overcomes scare late in 2nd set to beat Vacherot in Paris Masters 1st round

PARIS (AP) — Record seven-time champion 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 a 103rd career title, which would move him level in second place with Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors leads in the Open era on 109.

But the 10th-seeded Serb could have gone out early in Paris.

Serving at 4-4 in the second set, he needed to save three break points to prevent Vacherot — who won the Swiss Indoors on Sunday and beat Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters semifinals last year — from serving for the match at the indoor tournament.

“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."

After breaking Vacherot to level the match, he broke him at the start of the deciding set to seize the momentum. Djokovic won 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, with Djokovic having some massage on his right shoulder and Vacherot having his left ankle strapped.

Later Tuesday, third-seeded Ben Shelton faces fellow left hander Cameron Norrie in the second round. Shelton is looking for his 42nd win this season to equal his career-best total.

The American player has added Carlos Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero to his team for 2027 . Shelton has already secured his spot in the Nov. 15-22 ATP Finals, along with top-ranked Alexander Zverev , seven-time major winner Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic is chasing a spot but is an outsider at 11th in the race . He needs a strong showing with only an ATP250 event remaining in Stockholm after Paris.

In other first-round matches Tuesday, French teenager Moïse Kouame — a fan favorite at the French Open this year — lost 6-3, 6-1 to Nuno Borges, and 2022 champion Holger Rune lost 7-5, 6-4 to No. 12-seeded Tommy Paul.

Rune is still finding his way back following 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.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here