Novak Djokovic overtakes Pete Sampras' record of most indoor Masters 1000 wins following defeat of Maxime Cressy  at 2022 Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic overtook Pete Sampras's record of most indoor Masters 1000 wins following his straight-sets defeat of Maxime Cressy at the 2022 Paris Masters.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who recently won back-to-back titles in Tel Aviv and Astana, began his Paris Masters title defense with an emphatic 7-6(1), 6-4 win against Cressy, a result he achieved in just one hour and 42 minutes. The number six seed is going for his fifth title in as few as 11 events this year after his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine saw him miss multiple competitions — including the Australian Open and the US Open.

With the win against Cressy, Djokovic also registered his 48th win in the indoor Masters 1000 competition, pushing Sampras to second in the standings. Boris Becker is one win behind Sampras, with the recently-retired Roger Federer (41) rounding out the top four of the standings.

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Novak Djokovic takes on Karen Khachanov in 2022 Paris Masters 3R

Novak Djokovic is the record champion at the Paris Masters.

Novak Djokovic, after winning his 21st Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon this summer, automatically qualified for the ATP Finals. The Serbian, the record champion at the Paris Masters, is through to the second round in the French capital, where he will face Karen Khachanov.

Khachanov, ranked 19th in the world, has regained his form with an impressive run to the US Open semifinals. He played well in Paris, defeating Marc-Andrea Huesler in three sets on Tuesday. The Russian previously defeated Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-1 in the opening round.

Khachanov and Djokovic have faced each other eight times before, with the Serbian leading 7-1 in the head-to-head. Their most recent clash happened in Astana a few weeks ago, where the former World No. 1 6-4, 6-3 en route to clinching the title.

Incidentally, Khachanov's only win against the former World No. 1, who has a record six Paris Masters titles, came in the final of the same competition in 2018, where he prevailed 7-5, 6-4 to take home his only Masters 1000 trophy. The Russian, however, has lost to the Serb six times in succession since that win.

Both players will take to the court on Thursday and will be looking to give their best to progress to the quarterfinals.