A set down, then the old routine
Novak Djokovic dropped the opening set of his Rolex Paris Masters campaign and still walked off the Centre Court a comfortable winner. The 39-year-old beat Valentin Vacherot 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1 this afternoon, a match that ran past two and a half hours.
Vacherot made the better start. The Monegasque, fresh from winning the ATP 500 in Basel at the weekend, held serve with almost no fuss and landed nine aces by the middle of the first set. He won 88% of his first-serve points early on and took the tie-break.
The second set tilted on one game. Vacherot broke at the start, then had to take a medical timeout at 4-3 to have his left foot strapped. Djokovic had already broken back, and at 5-4 he saved three break points before Vacherot could level. A break at 6-5 put the match into a decider.
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Revenge for Shanghai
The third set was one-way traffic. Djokovic broke early and moved to 3-0, and Vacherot never found a way back in. It was a measure of payback too: the Monegasque had beaten him in Shanghai last year.
This was Djokovic’s first appearance in Paris since 2023, when he beat Grigor Dimitrov in the final for a seventh title at the tournament. He is in the field with the ATP Finals in Turin still in sight, and by RMC Sport’s account a slim chance of qualifying remains alive.
Next up is Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, who beat Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2 on Monday. Hijikata arrives with his confidence up, but the third set today showed how quickly Djokovic can shut a match down once he finds his rhythm on return.
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