Rafa Jódar’s path to the ATP Finals in Turin cleared significantly on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, after Alex de Miñaur and Novak Djokovic suffered decisive defeats at the Paris Masters, as elmundo.es reported. Marca.com noted that Alexander Zverev had also been eliminated in the French capital.
Defeats for Djokovic and De Miñaur in Paris
The Serbian player, a seven-time champion in the French capital, lost to Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, the world number 83, by 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. That loss ended Djokovic’s hopes of reaching the season-ending tournament, which required him to reach the semifinals in Paris, and meant he already has it impossible to qualify for the Masters Cup, as Marca.com pointed out.
Hours earlier, De Miñaur’s campaign came to an end when Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry defeated the Australian 7-6(2), 6-3, according to elmundo.es. Marca.com noted that Etcheverry secured the victory on Court 2 of the Défense Arena in favor of the interests of the player newly promoted to the top 10. The result prevented De Miñaur from capitalizing on Jódar’s loss to Casper Ruud (6-3, 6-4) on Tuesday to overtake the Spaniard in the race standings, leaving the Australian with 3,170 points compared to the Spaniard’s 3,234.
The Final Challengers Remaining in the Race
With De Miñaur and Djokovic eliminated, only two players can catch Jódar for the remaining qualification spots. Taylor Fritz is the first threat. Fritz currently holds 2,900 points and would reach 3,250 by making the semifinals, elmundo.es reported. Marca.com specified that Fritz entered the week with 2,950 points.
Tommy Paul presents the second remaining obstacle. Paul advanced on Wednesday by defeating Spain’s Dani Mérida 6-1, 6-1 in just 49 minutes, already reaching the third round of the Gallic Masters 1000, according to Marca.com. To pass Jódar, Paul needs to reach the final in Paris, which would lift his points total to 3,375, elmundo.es reported. Paul entered the week with 2,825 points, as noted by Marca.com.
Jódar Positioned for Turin Qualification
Jódar cannot add any more points to his total in the singles circuit this season, leaving his fate entirely in the hands of the remaining tournament results, moving closer to a qualification that just 24 hours earlier seemed very complicated. He will secure his spot in Turin as long as Fritz does not reach the semifinals and Paul does not reach the final, deciding in Paris whether the young Madrid player from the capital gets a place in the Nitto ATP Finals, which are scheduled to take place from November 15 to 22, 2026.
