(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Former world number one Daniil Medvedev kickstarted his campaign at the Paris Masters Tuesday with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 win over Spaniard Jaume Munar.
The 2020 Paris Masters champion began briskly on the vast centre court of the event's new La Defense Arena home, claiming the opening set in under half-an-hour. Eleventh seed Medvedev then secured the crucial break in the sixth game of the second set and served out to set up a second-round meeting with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
Earlier, Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin with a comeback 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Argentinian Francisco Comesana.
Auger-Aliassime is ninth in the race for the eight-place tournament and needs a deep run in the French capital to make his second career appearance at the season-ending tournament. Shock Shanghai Masters winner Valentin Vacherot raised the roof on the 17,500-capacity centre court as he continued his remarkable form in the opening match of the day.
The Monegasque wildcard beat Czech 14th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-3 in under an hour, and will next meet his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in a repeat of the Shanghai final earlier in October. Canadian Gabriel Diallo beat Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4 and France's Corentin Moutet fought past American lucky loser Reilly Opelka in three sets.
Earlier, Grigor Dimitrov returned to action by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 in the first round as the event made its debut in its new La Defense Arena home.
After being held for nearly 40 years at Paris' Bercy Arena, the tournament has moved across the city to set up shop in the cavernous multi-purpose arena.
Opened in 2017, the venue is best known as the home ground of French Top 14 rugby club Racing 92 and for having played host to the swimming events at the Olympics last year. It also welcomes concerts and political rallies. Now in its current guise as a tennis venue, La Defense Arena boasts the second largest showpiece court on the current global tennis circuit - second only in size terms to the US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was the scene of a triumphant comeback for former world number three Dimitrov as he played his first match since having to retire injured from his fourth round match at Wimbledon in July when leading two sets to love against eventual champion Jannik Sinner.“Winning or losing this match today would have been a win for me, I'm just so happy to be able to compete again,” 34-year-old Dimitrov said on-court.
“I had to be extremely patient with myself... clearly I'm playing against such an amazing player but I'm just grateful (to win).”
Dimitrov overcame fervent home support in the night session to grind out the first set on a tie-break against big-serving Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard.
Bolstered by his lead, the Bulgarian swiftly secured the first break of the match in the opening game of the second set as he glided through to the round of 32 Medvedev Paris Masters Jaume Munar

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