Rafael Nadal Clinches Year-End No. 1 Ranking

Rafael Nadal will finish the year as the top-ranked player for the fourth time.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 1, 2017

PARIS (AP) Rafael Nadal will finish the year as the top-ranked player for the fourth time.

The 31-year-old Spaniard assured himself the No. 1 ranking by beating Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-3 Wednesday in the second round of the Paris Masters.

Nadal had not finished the year at the top since 2013, with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray doing so after that.

Nadal, who has 30 Masters titles, has never won the tournament in Paris. He will next face Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

Also, fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev lost to Robin Haase 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, and ninth-seeded John Isner beat Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (2), 6-7 (11), 6-3.