PARIS -- Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a scare late in the second set to beat big-serving Valentin Vacherot 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner is chasing a 103rd career title, which would tie him for second in the Open era with Roger Federer behind Jimmy Connors (109).
Serving at 4-4 in the second set, the 10th-seeded Djokovic needed to save three break points to prevent Vacherot -- who won the Swiss Indoors on Sunday and beat Djokovic in the Shanghai Masters semifinals last year -- from serving for the match at the indoor tournament.
"His second serves are faster than my first serves, so it's very tough to play a guy in these conditions, which are really, really fast," Djokovic said. "Last year was very slow, this year is like ice."
Djokovic was bamboozled by the Monaco player's "huge" serves and saw 22 aces fly past him.
"For a set and a half, I had difficulty reading his serve," Djokovic said. "Even if I guessed right, it was coming with some speed."
After breaking Vacherot to level the match, Djokovic broke him at the start of the deciding set to seize momentum. Djokovic won on his second match point with a two-handed backhand winner down the line from the back of the court.
Both players took a medical timeout during the second set, with Djokovic having some massage on his right shoulder and Vacherot having his left ankle strapped.
Also Tuesday, third-seeded Ben Shelton moved into the third round after beating fellow left hander Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to equal his season-best total with a 42nd win.
The American player has added Carlos Alcaraz's former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero to his team for 2027. Shelton has already secured his spot in the Nov. 15-22 ATP Finals, along with top-ranked Alexander Zverev, seven-time major winner Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic is chasing a spot but is an outsider at 11th in the race. He needs to reach at least the semifinals here to stay in contention, the ATP said, with only an ATP250 event remaining in Stockholm after Paris.
No. 11-seeded Taylor Fritz, who is one place below Djokovic, won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Benjamin Bonzi.
In other first-round matches Tuesday, French teenager Moise Kouame lost 6-3, 6-1 to Nuno Borges, and 2022 champion Holger Rune lost 7-5, 6-4 to No. 12-seeded Tommy Paul.
In the third round on Wednesday, Zverev faces Italian Lorenzo Musetti, Djokovic plays qualifier Rinky Hijikata, second-seeded Alcaraz takes on Alex Michelsen and No. 4 Medvedev plays Ignacio Buse.