( CNN ) -- One French tennis star kept alive his hopes of a long-awaited return to the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday , but another has missed out on a third successive appearance . Jo-Wilfried was the 2011 runner-up at the men 's season-ending tournament , but he will not be part of the eight-man line-up in London next month after blowing two match-points against Kei Nishikori in the second round of the Paris Masters . Tsonga was ranked a career-high fifth last year , but has dropped to 10th in the standings after sitting out big chunks of this season due to injury . The 28-year-old raced to victory in the opening set against Nishikori but then lost two tie-breakers against the world No . 19 as he went down 1-6 7-6 ( 7-4 ) 7-6 ( 9-7 ) . `` I believe he managed well , because I could have won that match , '' Tsonga said of Nishikori , who beat France 's Julien Benneteau in his opening match . `` He was very solid , especially during the important moments . `` I really have to improve my physical condition . I have to work a lot and very hard during the break . But if I 'm able to play very solid matches like I played for the first set , it 's going to be good . '' Tsonga led 6-5 in the decider but double-faulted , then Nishikori saved himself at 7-6 down with an ace . The first Japanese man to reach the fourth round of the French Open since 1938 , he will next take on another player from the host country of this tournament -- Richard Gasquet -- on Thursday . With world No . 3 Andy Murray sidelined by injury for the rest of this year , ninth-ranked Gasquet holds the last place for London as he bids for his first qualification since his 2007 finals debut in Shanghai . He wasted two match-points in the second set against Fernando Verdasco on Tuesday but fought back to beat the Spaniard 7-5 6-7 ( 6-7 ) 6-3 in a match lasting two hours and 41 minutes . `` I felt bad , '' Gasquet said . `` I had two match points and I was close to winning the match . There was a tie-break after that , and I thought it was very tough to lose that second set . `` Physically , it was tough . It could have turned around in his favor . I was lucky . '' South African Kevin Anderson also had a measure of luck as his first-round opponent Mikhail Youzhny retired hurt with the score 4-6 7-6 ( 7-0 ) 2-1 . World No . 21 Anderson will next face 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer , who needs to win Wednesday 's match to secure a record 12th consecutive appearance at the finals . Federer , seventh in the Race to London standings , spent Tuesday engaging with his fans on Twitter . World No . 2 Novak Djokovic , who also had a first-round bye , overcame a stubborn performance by 189th-ranked Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert to triumph 7-6 ( 7-3 ) 6-3 . Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will begin his campaign Wednesday against fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers , who defeated Russia 's Dmitry Tursunov 6-4 6-4 in round one .
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will miss ATP finals after losing to Kei Nishikori in Paris . The world number one was forced into a deciding set at the start of his match against the Japanese player as he lost 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) on Sunday. Japan 's Nishikori will next face another French London hopeful , Richard Gasquet . World No . 2 Novak Djokovic wins his opening match at the Masters 1000 event .