The race to qualify for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai goes down to the wire this week at the Paris Masters with the three remaining spots to be decided among seven contenders.
Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Roddick and Nikolay Davydenko pocketed their tickets for the November 12 to 19 finale last week, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who had earlier qualified for the event featuring the top eight players in the ATP race.
The 2005 Masters Cup champion Argentine David Nalbandian, who withdrew from the Paris tournament due to gastro-enteritis, is sixth in the race standings and hoping to hold off several challengers to qualify again this year. American James Blake, Spaniard Tommy Robredo, Chile's Fernando Gonzalez and Croat Mario Ancic are among those fighting this week to book a place at the Chinese event.
Ancic, now 10th in the race, has moved ahead of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who misses Paris with an injury and is therefore out of contention for a Masters Cup berth.
Gonzalez and Ancic could meet in the third round in Paris, with the loser dropping out of the race. The other two contenders are German Tommy Haas and defending Paris Masters champion Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.
The top seed in Paris is world number one Roger Federer, who has never won in the French capital. World number two Rafael Nadal pulled out on Sunday with a stomach muscle injury.
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