With a commanding 6-3 6-2 victory over Tomas Etcheverry in the second round on Wednesday, world number one Novak Djokovic got his defence of the Paris Masters off to a strong start.

Playing in his first singles match since the Davis Cup six weeks prior, the Serb has solidified his hold on the top spot in the rankings, gaining a 580-point advantage over Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, who was eliminated from the competition on Tuesday.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated the Argentine world number 31 in one hour and twenty-three minutes, making just nine unforced errors and maintaining his serve the entire way.

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Next up for him is Dutch player, Tallon Griekspoor.

The Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov defeated world number three Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2).

After losing a close second-round match, the Russian refuted making an inappropriate gesture towards the jeering crowd.

After the game, Medvedev looked at his hand as he left the court and then he glared at the spectators.

Seventh-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 6-3 7-6(4). Tsitsipas will now play Alexander Zverev, who battled hard to defeat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6(5).

The US While Australia’s Alex de Minaur, ranked 13th, is still in the running for a ticket in the tournament in Turin after defeating Dusan Lajovic 4-6 6-4 6-4, Tommy Paul’s dreams of reaching the ATP Finals were dashed when the 12th seed fell to qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-4 2-6 6-3.

Francisco Cerundolo defeated Casper Ruud, a Norwegian, 7–5, 6-4. The 11th-seeded Polish player Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-2, in less than an hour, will face the Argentine next.