Thiem and Tsitsipas reach Paris Masters 3rd round

PARIS (AP) — Dominic Thiem withstood 30 aces from big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic to win 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-4 on Wednesday and reach the third round of the Paris Masters.

The two-time French Open runner-up also saved nine break points out of 10, and then broke Raonic for the first time in the ninth game of the deciding set before serving out the match.

The fifth-seeded Austrian player, who won the Erste Bank Open in Vienna last Sunday for an ATP Tour-leading fifth title this year, next faces Grigor Dimitrov.

Seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas looked more comfortable reaching the third round, serving 13 aces and facing no break points in beating Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3. The 21-year-old Greek player next plays Alex de Minaur, a 20-year-old Australian who lost the Swiss Indoors final to Roger Federer on Sunday.

Federer is skipping this tournament, but top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal were playing later Wednesday in the second round.

Another big server went out as 15th-seeded American John Isner — the 2016 runner-up — lost 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) to Cristian Garin of Chile despite having 25 aces.

Denis Shapovalov of Canada used 14 aces in rallying to beat No. 11 Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and plays No. 6 Alexander Zverev in the third round.

De Minaur upset ninth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (2), 7-6 (1), while in other second-round matches Dimitrov beat No. 12 David Goffin 7-5, 6-3, and Frenchman Gael Monfils won 6-4, 7-6 (4) against countryman Benoit Paire.

Later, Djokovic was facing lucky loser Corentin Moutet and Nadal took on another unseeded Frenchman in Adrian Mannarino.

Nadal can guarantee the year-end top ranking for the fifth time in his career by winning the indoor tournament for the first time.

Djokovic, a four-time champion at the Bercy Arena, seeks a record-tying sixth year-end finish as No. 1.