London picture clears up as Isner, Coric, and Fognini all lose in Paris

It did not take long for the Nitto ATP Finals field to take shape at this week’s Rolex Paris Masters.

John Isner, Borna Coric, and Fabio Fognini were the last three contenders who had a chance of surpassing at least one player in the current top eight. All three lost during third-round action on Thursday.

Coric and Fognini were not particularly close to breaking into the elite eight-man tournament in London, as both men had to make a Jack Sock-esque run to the Paris title in order to have a chance. After Coric’s hopes came to an end with a 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 setback against Dominic Thiem, Fognini fell to Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3.

“I think both of us were far from our best, but we fought with what we had and at the end I think I maybe served a bit better in the important moments than Fabio did,” Federer assessed. “Off the baseline, it was tough. He takes the ball early and can really redirect really well. But I’m very happy because it means I’m moving on in the tournament.”

“It was a great fight from both of us from the beginning to the end,” Thiem said. “Borna is in great shape. He has his career-high right now, so I think I was beating one of the best players right now in the world. That makes me very happy.”

Next up for the eight-ranked Austrian, who will mathematically clinch a London berth with either two more wins in Paris or an expected withdrawal by Juan Martin Del Potro, is a Friday showdown against Sock. The American made a miracle run to last year’s Paris title to secure a stunning spot in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals.

“It’s always fun to play him,” Thiem commented. “We’ve had some great matches in the past; haven’t played for a little while now, so I’m looking forward to that one. Of course I’m trying everything to stop him, but it’s going to be tough–especially here in Bercy.”

Assuming Del Potro pulls out because of a knee injury, London will feature Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Federer, Alexander Zverev, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic, Thiem, and Kei Nishikori. If Nadal also withdraws, Isner would takes his place. Otherwise the 6’10” American’s chances ended with Thursday’s 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(8) loss to Karen Khachanov.

[polldaddy poll=10153703]
[polldaddy poll=10153506]
[polldaddy poll=10153464]
[polldaddy poll=10153462]