Jack Sock clinched the final place in the ATP World Tour finals in dramatic style by winning the Paris Masters, his first Masters 1000 title.
He defeated world number 77 Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to become the first American winner in Paris since Andre Agassi 18 years ago.
Sock had been ranked 22nd in the world, but with several higher-ranked players missing the end of the season and a large number of points up for grabs, he was able to steal a march on a number of better-known rivals, such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro.
It meant that US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta, who had occupied the final qualifying spot before Paris, misses out.
Having defeated two other Americans on the way to the final - John Isner and Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey - Krajinovic looked set to spring a major surprise. However, Sock held his nerve after losing the first set to clinch the biggest prize of his career, wearing down the Serb as he took 79 per cent of points on his first serve.
Fans booking corporate hospitality for the event can now look forward to seeing Sock joining a line-up that is headed by world number one Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, with the rest of the field comprising Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin. Carreno Busta will be the first reserve if anyone has to pull out, but Nadal is expected to be fit and ready to play after pulling out of his Paris quarter-final.
The end of the regular season also means some dramatic changes to the rankings, with Andy Murray plunging from third to 15th and Novak Djokovic being outside the top ten for the first time in a decade. Sock is in the top ten for the first time in his career. Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic are also out of the top 20 after their seasons were also curtailed by injury.
Murray will begin his comeback this week with a charity exhibition match against Federer in Glasgow.
Image: Getty, from Keith Prowse subscription