Khachanov Advances in Paris as Shapovalov Retires in Decider

Karen Khachanov is through to the second round of the Paris Masters after Denis Shapovalov retired from their first-round match on Monday. Khachanov, the 2018 champion in Paris, took the opening set 6-3 before Shapovalov hit back to claim the second in a tiebreak. The Canadian then led 4-1 in the deciding set, only to bring the match to an early end, sending Khachanov through in a finish nobody wanted to see. The result was a reversal of their recent history, with Shapovalov having won both previous meetings between the pair. It also continued a worrying run of physical problems for the Canadian, who had already retired from matches in Basel in the build-up to Paris. For Khachanov, the win keeps his week alive at the final Masters event of the season, where ranking points and a place at the ATP Finals in Turin are still on the line for several players. He will now look to build on an escape that owed as much to circumstance as to his own play, while Shapovalov faces another spell of recovery and another question about how much his body can still take.