Paris Masters 2018: Schedule for November 1, top matches, where to watch and more

Yesterday's much-awaited all-Spaniard clash at the Paris Masters turned out to be anticlimactic as Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Paris Masters due to an abdominal strain. There was another casualty on the same day, with Milos Raonic giving Roger Federer a walkover into the Round of 16 that starts today.

In terms of completed matches, there were three contests that caught the spectators' eyes. Incidentally, all of them were played on Court 1 of the Accor Hotel.

South African No.1 Kevin Anderson, after winning the first set, was forced to play two tiebreakers in the sets to follow by Nikoloz Basilashvili. The under-fire Grigor Dimitrov, meanwhile, beat Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets, winning the first 12-10 in the breaker. Lastly, the clash between Mikhail Kukushkin and John Isner had two tie-breaks as well, with the American coming out on top in three sets.

The first Round of 16 match is being played currently between top 10 seeds Dimitrov and Marin Cilic. However, the most attention on the day will be on Novak Djokovic. Although his ascent to the No. 1 ranking has been confirmed with Nadal's withdrawal, the Serb will be looking to win the title here and extend his lead. He'll face Damir Dzumhur in their first ever meeting.

Another exciting contest awaits at around the same time, with two big-serving players facing off on Court 1. Karen Khachanov, who got through to this round after an incomplete match,(Matthew Ebden retired after a set and two games), will meet an Isner who was pushed to the limit in his previous encounter.

Later in evening, an all-European clash is set to make everyone's dinnertime a lot more spicy with Borna Coric facing Dominic Thiem. The Austrian leads the head-to-head 2-1, but the Croatian has won their only encounter outside clay (on hard court).

Roger Federer will also be in action later tonight, against the flamboyant Italian Fabio Fognini. One more top seed, Sascha Zverev, will be playing the third match on Center Court - against Diego Schwartzman.

List of top matches of the day:

Court Central

Started at 11 am local time / 3.30pm IST

(5) Marin Cilic v (9) Grigor Dimitrov

Followed by

Damir Dzumhur v (2) Novak Djokovic

Followed by

(4) Alexander Zverev v (15) Diego Schwartzman

Followed by

(11) Borna Coric v (6) Dominic Thiem

Not before 7.30 pm local time / 00:00 hours (2 November) IST

Fabio Fognini v (3) Roger Federer

Not before 8.30 pm local time / 1 am (2 November) IST

(7) Kevin Anderson v (10) Kei Nishikori

Here is all you need to know about how to follow the Paris Masters:

Tournament name: Rolex Paris Masters

Location: Paris, France

Category: Masters 1000

Date: Thursday, November 1, 2018

Round: Third Round

Broadcast: Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD

Live stream: Sony Liv