Novak Djokovic survives tough first examination against Valentin Vacherot in bid for eighth Paris Masters crown

Tuesday, 03 November 2026 at 17:31

Novak Djokovic has survived in his opener at the Paris Masters as he took down Valentin Vacherot, and he will now face off against Rinky Hijikata in the second round, who saw off against Luciano Darderi in the first round.

Djokovic likely will face off against Alex de Minaur in the latter stages, with a meeting against Ben Shelton likely looming. De Minaur will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round instead of Andrey Rublev, with the Argentine getting a big win.

The first set was very much one that Djokovic threw away in reality, as Vacherot came from 4-2 down and 5-4 in the tie-break to lead the seven-time champion, Djokovic, in Round One. He sealed the tie-break and led 7-6, and Djokovic throwing it away was characterised by him having a very bad miss at the net at 5-4 in a big moment in the context of the set.

Djokovic went 2-0 down in the second set, and it included a medical time-out from his side. But he managed to regroup and drew level at 2-2 with a break and then held for 3-2. He led 4-3 and 5-4 from there. In the latter game he came from 40-30 down to lead, with Vacherot having a myriad of chances to break.

Djokovic wins on Paris return.

But eventually Djokovic broke at the final hurdle to win the second 7-5 and draw level going into the decider. One that was a bit of a non-starter in the end when it came to Vacherot.

Vacherot himself took an MTO and didn't look at himself. While Djokovic on one hand seems to thrive after taking time off the court, Vacherot did the opposite, as Djokovic easily swatted him aside, winning the decider 6-1. He broke for 2-0 after Vacherot himself had chances to hold, and then he held emphatically for 3-0. He then went 4-1 up with a hold and broke again for 5-1. This saw him go one way.

Djokovic claimed the win from there 6-1 on his second match point and surged on in Paris. Elsewhere today, wins for Matteo Berrettini and Tommy Paul.

Berrettini saw off Brandon Nakashima in three 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 deciding tie-breaks, while for Paul he saw off Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4 on the latter's return to one of his best moments, albeit in a different venue.

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Moise Kouame lost easily to Nuno Borges 6-3, 6-1. While Learner Tien swept Daniel Vallejo in a quality tie 6-3, 5-7, and 7-5.

As alluded to, Etcheverry saw off Rublev, while Rinderknech and Halys delighted the home crowd with wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Arthur Fery. Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Arthur Gea and Ruud-Jodar to follow.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

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