Race To Turin: Hubert Hurkacz squanders opportunity to close on Holger Rune
Hubert Hurkacz missed a chance to close to within 15 points of Holger Rune, who is in eighth on the Race to Turin standings.
Hurkacz needed to win his Swiss Indoors final against Felix Auger-Aliassime to close right up on the man who occupies the final ATP Tour Finals qualification spot.
Auger-Aliassime secured his return to the top 20 of the ATP Rankings with his title in Basel but he isn’t in the frame for Turin after an indifferent campaign to date.
The final three places in Turin will be settled at the Paris Masters.
In the other ATP 500 event in Vienna, already qualified Jannik Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev to deny the Russian his sixth title of the 2023 season.
Medvedev has also secured his place in Turin, and has had his tickets punched for some time.
Six players outside of the top eight retain hopes of reaching Turin through the Paris Masters right down to Karen Khachanov in 14th place on the Race standings.
In the last week contenders for the finals Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Tommy Paul and Alex De Minaur all lost in the last 16 at either Vienna or Basel and waivered on the path to Turin.
All told, the week was probably better for the men holding spots six through eight while fifth-placed Andrey Rublev was confirmed in the Turin field.
Rune might have put a bit of daylight between himself and Hurkacz but he lost to Auger-Aliassime in the last four in Basel and sees the Pole close on him by 120 points.
Tsitsipas would now have to be extremely unlucky to miss out on a place in Paris with three players needing to have deep runs in Paris to have any hope of displacing the Green No 1 from the Race to Turin top eight.
If Tsitsipas reaches the last eight in Paris he cannot then be overhauled by enough players to see him miss out on Turin.
Things are far less certain for the man currently in seventh on the live race standings with Alexander Zverev uncomfortably close to the chasing pack.
A run to the last eight for Zverev in Paris should be enough to clinch a place but he needs to make the last four to be absolutely sure of going through.
Early exits for any of the chasing pack would relieve the pressure on the likes of Tsitsipas, Zverev and the man on the bubble Rune.
To make things more interesting, Tsitsipas and Zverev find themselves in the same section in the Paris Masters draw and could meet in the Round of 16.
Fritz and Rune are also on a last 16 collision course in Paris which could throw up a great head-to-head battle in the Race To Turin.
We could be in for a blockbuster Round of 16 in Paris with Hurkacz and fellow Race contender Casper Ruud bracketed alongside each other.
Unlike a few other Turin contenders, De Minaur has to start his run in Paris in the opening round where he will battle Andy Murray to open.
De Minaur could also meet Vienna titlist Sinner in the last 16 at the Paris Masters.
The early rounds of the Masters’ event could go a long way towards settling the lineup in Turin.
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