Tsitsipas hangs on in final sprint to Turin

Stefanos Tsitsipas held onto his slim chances for a place in the ATP Finals as he stopped Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 for a place in the second round of the Paris Masters on Monday.

The Greek stands provisional 12th in the chase for the eight-man showdown, three spots and just over 705 points away from grabbing the last place in the Turin competition,

It all comes down to performances this week in Paris at the Bercy arena, with Tsitsipas needing a deep run to possibly squeeze into the field headed by world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

“It’s going to take a lot for me to qualify, so if I manage to up my tennis during this entire week, let’s see,” Tsitsipas said after his opening win in two hours.

He advanced with 36 winners – well over twice the total of opponent Carballes Baena. Tsitsipas won despite feeling poorly at the start.

“I had an upset stomach and wasn’t feeling so great on the court. I couldn’t even pump myself up at the beginning of the match.

“When something is bothering you that much, it takes your entire concentration and focus.

“That was perhaps the second battle I was facing today, along with my opponent.”

Tsitsipas has competed in the last five ATP Finals editions and knows closing the gap will be a huge ask.

“It’s going to take a lot for me to qualify, so if I manage to up my tennis during this entire week, let’s see.

“If I’m able to deliver something good here, I guess that also earns me a spot in Turin.”

Main photo:- Stefanos Tsitsipas winning in Bercy – by ATP Tour.com