Rublev boosts ATP Finals hopes after winning his Swiss Indoors debut match

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Top-seeded Andrey Rublev won on his Swiss Indoors debut on Monday and bolstered his hopes of qualifying for a fifth consecutive ATP Finals next month.

No. 7-ranked Rublev accounted for Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-3, 6-2.

He is eighth in the race for the top-eight Finals, trying to stay ahead of ninth-placed Alex de Minaur, who is playing in Vienna.

Fifth-seeded Ugo Humbert fired 13 aces while battling past Swiss qualifier Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Humbert's second-round opponent will be lucky loser David Goffin, who had his own struggles to put down Matteo Arnaldi of Italy 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Arthur Fils also had trouble with German qualifier Daniel Altmaier, winning 7-6 (5), 6-3 only after saving two set points in the first set and coming from a break down in the second.