Croats Cilic, Coric Opening Day Paris Indoor Winners; Former Champ Khachanov Out

After just one day, the Paris Masters is already without a former champion remaining in the field. 2019 winner Karen Khachanov was ousted by young Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The 21-year-old Davidovich Fokina rolled in the decider 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to earn his second career Top 20 win.

“I’m playing very well [from] the baseline. I think I’m very solid there,” Davidovich Fokina said. “When I move fast, I think I am [playing] my game very good.”

The qualifier will now meet Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.

Khachanov’s 2020 is likely over. The Russian went just 10-8 during the restart. And for the season, he never even made a tournament semifinal.

The Russian was the lone former champion to start in the Masters draw, so a new winner will be crowned this year.

In the match of the day, US Open champion Marin Cilic proved too strong for the young Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Auger-Aliassime was dealing with an ab injury toward the end of the match.

“I started the match by winning the first six games and I was just zoning in on every single ball,” said Cilic. “It was a great start. Obviously, I was expecting that Felix was going to raise his game and he started to play better. It was a really tight second set, even though it went 6-3 to him.

“It wasn’t easy. I just felt I served great in the third set, which definitely helped.”

Cilic, who improves to just 6-6 in the restart, will now meet Corentin Moutet.

Cilic’s countryman Borna Coric advanced past qualifier Marton Fucsovics. Alex De Minaur also was victorious over a qualifier, Stefano Travaglia.

And 2-time US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta stormed past the dropshot king Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal got his Wednesday opponent. He’ll face 39-year-old countryman Feliciano Lopez who won a tight first set over Filip Krajinovic 7-6(11), 6-1. Andrey Rublev will draw Radu Albot who upended Hubert Hurkacz. That should also be Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Stan Wawrinka opens against Dan Evans, Richard Gasquet faces Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas draws an in-form Ugo Humbert. Matteo Berrettini, Milos Raonic and Kevin Anderson are also in action.

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