Flavio Cobolli has withdrawn from the Paris Masters because of a muscle injury, a significant setback to his hopes of featuring at the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time.
According to Free Malaysia Today, the Italian announced his withdrawal on Monday. He had travelled to the French capital hoping to be fit in time, despite suffering a minor muscle strain that forced him to retire from his second-round match in Vienna last week, where he was left in tears on court.
The setback comes at a crucial stage of the qualification race. Four of the eight places in Turin remain available, and Cobolli, who finished runner-up at the French Open, currently sits in the strongest position to claim the fifth spot.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev have already secured their places. World No 2 Jannik Sinner will miss the event because of a knee injury.
Behind Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar are still in contention, with Jodar presently holding the last qualifying position. The Spaniard strengthened his case on Monday with a straight-sets victory over Alejandro Tabilo in his first match in Paris, and he will next meet Casper Ruud.
Alex de Minaur also remains in the running, while seven-time Paris champion Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz both need to go deep in the tournament this week to keep their chances of reaching Turin alive.
Cobolli's absence means he cannot add to his tally in Paris, leaving his rivals with an opportunity to close the gap in the race for the remaining places.