ATP: London finals: Six candidates, two grid positions

In the race for the ATP finals in London, six players still have a chance to win the remaining two starting places. The draw for the upcoming Masters in Paris has revealed possible third round matches that could be decisive for the year-end tournament.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov, who have already qualified, are waiting for two more players to complete the field in London.

Pablo Carreno Busta is currently the man who would secure the last place for the finals. He was drawn into the upper half of the Paris Masters, and could face Sam Querrey in the last sixteen, with the Spaniard missing only 80 points.

In the lower half of the table, David Goffin, currently seventh in the race, could meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman was only 22nd two weeks ago, but with his win in Antwerp and his success in Vienna, he has returned to the game impressively.

Juan Martin del Potro started an even bigger race to catch up: Before the US Open, the Argentinean was still ranked 47th in the race, but a strong autumn could bring him to the final. With his third win in Basel he would pass Carreno Busta in the ranking. In Paris, del Potro will face Gael Monfil’s winner against Paolo Lorenzi, and Alexander Zverev in the third round.

Kevin Anderson is currently 135 points behind Carreno Busta and starts in Paris either against Andrey Rublev or Fernando Verdasco. In the event of a South African’s opening win, he could challenge Dominic Thiem in the last sixteen.

In the doubles, seven places have already been allocated and the last ticket will probably be taken by Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers. After a strong performance by Oliver Marach and his partner Mate Pavic in Vienna, Austria’s hopes for a final were also intact. A slipped disc from Marach, which he had contracted in the quarter-finals, meant the end of the season for the Styrian.

DataHere is the complete draw of the Paris-Master