Youzhny stays in Shanghai hunt

Russian Mikhail Youzhny is still in the hunt for a place at the Masters Cup after a 6-4 6-3 win over Arnaud Clement at the Paris Masters on Monday.

The world number 18 is among 18 players battling for the remaining two places at the eight-man event in Shanghai.

Most of the other hopefuls, including Britain's Andy Murray, received first-round byes.

Youzhny will face Fernando Gonzalez, who currently holds one of the two qualifying places, in the second round.

Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu dropped out of the Masters Cup race when he lost 4-6 6-2 6-3 to Croatia's Mario Ancic.

Ancic, who also beat Mathieu at the Madrid Masters earlier this month, next faces Czech Tomas Berdych, another Masters Cup contender, and winner in Paris in 2005.

Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain will also not be going to Shanghai after being beaten 6-4 6-2 by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

Baghdatis, who still has an outside chance of reaching the Masters Cup, faces Croat Ivan Ljubicic in the next round.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Argentine Juan Martin del Potro booked a second-round meeting with world number four Nikolay Davydenko with a 6-4 6-3 win over Feliciano Lopez.

British number one Murray, like all the top 16 seeds, received a bye in the first round and will not begin his title bid until at least Wednesday.

Finland's Jarkko Nieminen and Juan Monaco of Argentina will meet on Tuesday to decide who faces Murray.

Source: BBC Sport