Auger-Aliassime keeps ATP Finals hopes alive with first-round win in Paris

Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime retained his chance to qualify for the ATP Finals with a first-round victory at the Paris Masters on Tuesday.

Auger-Aliassime came back from a set down to beat Argentine qualifier Francisco Comesana 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-3.

In other first-round matches, Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo beat Netherlands’ Talon Grikspoor 6-3, 6-4, while Richmond Hill, Ont.’s Denis Shapovalov lost to João Fonseca 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. It was the Brazilian teenager’s second consecutive victory over Shapovalov.

Auger-Aliassime’s victory closed the gap on eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP Turin standings to 440 points. The top eight qualify for the end-of-season event in Italy.

The 25-year-old won the ATP 250 event in Belgium nine days ago but may have left some points on the table when he withdrew from last week’s quarter-finals in Basel with back soreness.

Ninth seed Auger-Aliassime will next face France’s Alexander Muller in Paris.

Diallo defeated Grikspur for the first time. The pair met twice earlier this year, with Grikspur winning in the second round of Roland Garros and in the quarter-finals of the Mallorca grass-court championship.

The 6-foot-8 Diallo enters Paris ranked No. 42 in the world and will next face sixth-seeded Alex De Minaur of Australia.

Shapovalov hit nine aces in the loss to Fonseca, but also had nine double faults. The two met in Basel last week, with Shapovalov bowing out in the quarter-finals 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 despite showing no obvious signs of injury.

Fonseca, 19, went on to win the match and became the third youngest player to win an ATP 500 event.