Race to Turin, daily: Fils and Halys hold the keys for Tiafoe and Jodar in Paris
Quentin Halys plays Tommy Paul and Arthur Fils faces Taylor Fritz on Thursday in Paris. Frances Tiafoe qualifies if one of the two Americans loses, and Rafael Jodar if both do, after Alex de Minaur and Novak Djokovic went out on Wednesday.
Frances Tiafoe, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Chryslène Caillaud / PsNewz
Two French players will settle much of the race to the Nitto ATP Finals (Nov. 15-22) on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters. Quentin Halys faces 12th seed Tommy Paul at 11 a.m. on Court Central, and sixth seed Arthur Fils, already qualified, takes on 11th seed Taylor Fritz in the night session, not before 8:30 p.m.
Two places remain, and four men are still in contention. Frances Tiafoe will qualify if Paul or Fritz loses, and Rafael Jodar if both of them do, according to the ATP.
Six players are qualified: Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli and Fils, who became on Wednesday the first French player to qualify since Gael Monfils in 2016. With Jannik Sinner out for the season, ninth place is the last place in.
Race to Turin after Wednesday in Paris
| # | Player | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev Qualified · Paris: lost to Lorenzo Musetti | 9,350 | |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner Out for the season | 7,950 | |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz Qualified · Paris: vs. Matteo Berrettini | 5,200 | |
| 4 | Ben Shelton Qualified · Paris: vs. Arthur Rinderknech | 4,620 | |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev Qualified · Paris: lost to Ignacio Buse | 3,820 | |
| 6 | Flavio Cobolli Qualified · withdrew from Paris | 3,680 | |
| 7 | Arthur Fils Qualified · Paris: vs. Taylor Fritz | 3,625 | |
| Qualified: 6 of 8 places | |||
| 8 | Frances Tiafoe Paris: lost to Quentin Halys | 3,390 | |
| 9 | Rafael Jodar Paris: lost to Casper Ruud | 3,234 | |
| Last place in: 9th | |||
| 10 | Alex de Minaur Paris: lost to Tomas Martin Etcheverry · out of the race | 3,170 | |
| 11 | Taylor Fritz Paris: 11th seed, vs. Arthur Fils | 2,950 | |
| 12 | Novak Djokovic Paris: lost to Rinky Hijikata · out of the race | 2,940 | |
| 13 | Tommy Paul Paris: 12th seed, vs. Quentin Halys | 2,825 | |
PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, points since Jan. 1, after Wednesday’s matches, from the ATP media notes. Sinner is out for the season, so ninth place is the last place in. Tiafoe, Jodar, de Minaur and Djokovic are out of the Paris draw and cannot add points.
De Minaur and Djokovic out of the race to Turin
Two more contenders fell on Wednesday. Eighth seed Alex de Minaur, who needed a win to pass Jodar, lost 7-6 (2), 6-3 to Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Novak Djokovic lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to qualifier Rinky Hijikata after taking the first set.
Both stay below Jodar’s 3,234 points with no more points to win. Tiafoe’s week is also over: he held four match points before losing 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (9) to Halys, a defeat that sent Fils to Turin, and stays on 3,390.
Zverev and Medvedev, already qualified, also lost their opening matches on a day of upsets. Zverev lost 7-6 (5), 6-2 to Lorenzo Musetti and Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 to Ignacio Buse.
Paul and Fritz must win to stay in the race
Fritz, who hit 37 aces to beat qualifier Alex Molcan 6-7 (6), 7-5, 7-6 (5), and Paul, who beat Daniel Merida 6-1, 6-1, cannot afford a defeat on Thursday.
Fritz, on 2,950 points, would pass Jodar by reaching the semi-finals (3,250) and Tiafoe by reaching the final (3,500). Paul, on 2,825, needs the final (3,375) to pass Jodar and the title (3,725) to pass Tiafoe.
A run to the final would make sure of a place for either of them. Fritz could also qualify with the semi-finals, if Paul falls short of the final.
Their paths are not easy. In the quarter-finals, Fritz would face Carlos Alcaraz or Matteo Berrettini, and Paul would meet Ben Shelton or Arthur Rinderknech.
Paul and Fritz are in opposite halves of the draw. Tiafoe can only miss Turin if Paul wins the title by beating Fritz in the final.
What each contender needs in Paris
| Player | Qualifies if | Out if |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Tiafoe | Paul or Fritz loses | Paul wins the title, beating Fritz in the final |
| Rafael Jodar | Fritz misses the semi-finals and Paul misses the final | Fritz reaches the semi-finals or Paul the final |
| Taylor Fritz | He reaches the final, or the semi-finals with Paul short of the final | He loses before the semi-finals, or in them while Paul reaches the final |
| Tommy Paul | He reaches the final | He loses before the final |
Calculated from the ATP totals and the points for each round. Paul and Fritz are in opposite halves of the draw.
What Thursday’s two matches can settle in Paris
If Halys and Fils both win, Tiafoe and Jodar qualify and the line-up for Turin is complete. If only one of them wins, Tiafoe qualifies, and Jodar’s place depends on the remaining American: Fritz would need the semi-finals to pass him, Paul the final.
If Paul and Fritz both win, nothing is settled on Thursday.
Fils, who beat qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday night, meets Fritz a week after retiring against him in the Basel quarter-finals, trailing 6-2, 2-0.
Race totals by round reached in Paris
| Player | Now | QF | SF | F | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fritz | 2,950 | 3,050 | 3,250 | 3,500 | 3,850 |
| Paul | 2,825 | 2,925 | 3,125 | 3,375 | 3,725 |
“Now”: current total, kept with a defeat on Thursday. QF, SF, F: total if he reaches that round. W: total with the title. Tiafoe stays on 3,390 and Jodar on 3,234. Source: ATP media notes.
