NIkolay Davydenko from Russia celebrates after his ATP 500 World Tour Valencia Open tennis tournament match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, from Spain, at the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, Spain.
Photograph by: Daniel Leiva
Credit: AP

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Davydenko, who broke his opponent five times and saved the four break points he faced, is one of the seven players who can still qualify for the season-ending event in London.

Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling, Fernando Gonzalez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Radek Stepanek and Marin Cilic are also in the running.

The 28-year-old Davydenko, who won the Paris Masters in 2006, needs to reach the semifinals to secure one of the two remaining spots.

Davydenko will next face either Soderling or Ivo Karlovic of Croatia.

Tsonga was to play Albert Montanes of Spain later on Tuesday.

The Frenchman, who retired in the first round of the Valencia Open last week with a wrist injury, must win again in Paris without facing Verdasco in the final to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals.