World number one Gustavo Kuerten and title-holder Marat Safin crashed out of the $2.95 million Paris Masters Series on Thursday, leaving the door open for outsiders to win the last tournament on the regular ATP circuit.
Kuerten and Safin were the last two big-name players left in the draw after Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter pulled out while U.S. Open champion Lleyton Hewitt and Briton Tim Henman lost early on.
Kuerten lost to unseeded Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 4-6 6-4 6-4, the latest upset in a bleak indoor season.
"These are not the easiest courts for me to play. But now, only one to go, my last tournament before my vacation," Kuerten said about the Masters Cup.
Safin bowed 6-4 6-4 to Swede Andreas Vinciguerra, leaving only two players, Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean and Germany's Tommy Haas, in contention for the last spot in the Masters Cup in Sydney starting on November 12.
The Russian, winner in St Petersburg last Sunday, was hoping to make it two in a row at Bercy, but he was outpaced by Vinciguerra in front of a meagre crowd on Court One and put a lacklustre end to a rather disappointing season.
"I'm not interested in finishing top 10 or even number six in the world. I want to be in the top five or even better," he said after the defeat to a player who has beaten him four times previously.
Bureau Report