Jordan Thompson upsets Casper Ruud to reach Paris Masters second round

The Australian qualifier stunned the Norwegian star 6-2 6-3 in the opening round of the tournament.

PARIS: Australian qualifier Jordan Thompson created one of the biggest upsets of the year at the Paris Masters by knocking out third seed Casper Ruud 6-2 6-3 in the opening round on Monday. Thompson, ranked 92nd in the world, had never beaten a top-10 player before but he played aggressively from the start against Ruud, who is second in the ATP Race to Turin and has won three titles this year. The Australian broke Ruud's serve three times in the first set and twice in the second, while never facing a break point himself. "I served really well today and that was probably the key," Thompson said. "I was putting pressure on him from the first ball and I was able to dictate play. "I knew I had to play my best today and I'm really happy with how I performed." Ruud's defeat was a surprise, but it was not the only upset on Monday. Grigor Dimitrov, the 14th seed, was beaten by American Maxime Cressy 7-6(4) 6-3, while 16th seed Karen Khachanov lost to Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 7-5. Top seed Novak Djokovic, who is chasing a record-equaling sixth Paris Masters title, will begin his campaign on Tuesday against American Tommy Paul. Second seed Rafael Nadal, who is making his first appearance in Paris since 2019, will play his first match on Wednesday against either Frenchman Richard Gasquet or American Frances Tiafoe.

Thompson's win was the biggest upset of the day at the Paris Masters.

The Australian qualifier had never beaten a top-10 player before, but he played aggressively from the start against Ruud, who is second in the ATP Race to Turin and has won three titles this year. Thompson broke Ruud's serve three times in the first set and twice in the second, while never facing a break point himself. "I served really well today and that was probably the key," Thompson said. "I was putting pressure on him from the first ball and I was able to dictate play. "I knew I had to play my best today and I'm really happy with how I performed."