Tomas Berdych kept alive his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals qualification hopes in Paris on Tuesday, surviving a tight second-round match against Joao Sousa to advance, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
“My approach to [London] is very simple: I have to do well here. I have to play good tennis because if you don’t play your best, you don’t really deserve to be there,” said Berdych. “Luckily, I’m healthy and can play. Who would have said that I’d be answering questions about London when I was in the hospital in Cincinnati? This is a nice bonus.”
The Czech player credited coach Goran Ivanisevic with adding new dimensions to his game that he believes will serve him well.
“He’s introducing a couple of new things to my tennis. I like his approach and how he tries to simplify things for me, which can help my game a lot,” said Berdych. “Hopefully I can get to the point where I can start to use his experience in all the big matches he’s played.”
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A single break of serve in each of the first two sets was all that was needed to force a deciding set. Both players traded routine service holds until 6-5, when 2005 champion Berdych broke Sousa to clinch the match.
Berdych currently has 2,880 points in the Emirates ATP Place to London, just behind Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic for the final two spots at the season finale to be held at The O2 in London from 13-20 November. The Czech player must reach the BNP Paribas Masters semi-finals if he is to have any chance of qualifying for the seventh straight year.
John Isner, a 2011 semi-finalist in Paris, struck 14 aces and lost just six of his first service points to beat Mischa Zverev 7-6(8), 6-4 in 84 minutes on Monday for a place in the second round against 15th seed and 2012 champion David Ferrer. Isner saved two set points at 6/7 and 8/9 in the tie-break, prior to breaking Zverev in the third game of the second set.
"It was a good win. I knew it had the potential to be very close – and it was just that," said Isner. "He has been playing well, especially on faster courts."
Nicolas Mahut delighted French supporters by beating Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and will next play eighth seed David Goffin, who is attempting to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Goffin is currently No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Race To London on 2,690 points, 400 points behind Marin Cilic in the last automatic qualification spot.
American Jack Sock advanced to the second round with a 6-2, 7-6(3) win against German Philipp Kohlschreiber. Feliciano Lopez also moved on, defeating home favourite Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(3), 6-4 in one hour and 37 minutes.
