Paris Masters

As a little boy, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was taught to finish off everything on his plate and he did just that when he won the Paris Masters on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Frenchman, who beat Argentine David Nalbandian 6-3 4-6 6-4 in the final in front of a jubilant home crowd, started sobbing after clinching victory and the tears kept rolling during his post-match news conference.

"My parents taught me not to complain, to always go forward," the son of two teachers said.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his maiden Masters Series event when he beat Argentine David Nalbandian 6-3 4-6 6-4 in the final of the Paris Masters on Sunday to clinch the last qualifying spot for the season's finale in Shanghai.

The 23-year-old Frenchman joined Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro as the players who qualified for the Masters Cup, which will start on Nov. 9.

"It wraps up a very rich season for me. I played very well. The icing on the cake will be Shanghai.

Argentine David Nalbandian and France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will battle it out for the last Masters Cup spot in the final of the Paris Masters after winning their semi-final matches on Saturday.

Nalbandian battled for a 6-1 5-7 6-4 victory over Russian world number six Nikolay Davydenko, while local favourite Tsonga advanced with a 6-4 6-3 defeat of James Blake.

The result ended the American's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending tournament.

Defending champion David Nalbandian continued to impress at the BNP Paris Masters.

The eighth-seeded Argentine advanced to the final of the hardcourt event Saturday with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.

Nalbandian, who will face either No. 11 James Blake or 13th-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday’s final, is a victory away from becoming the first back-to-back winner in the 23-year history of this event.

World number two Roger Federer was confident he would take part in the season-ending Masters Cup despite pulling out of the Paris Masters Series event with a back injury on Friday.

"I got to do all sorts of different checks and stuff. But usually the back is something that takes a few days and it's better again," the Swiss told reporters after handing American James Blake a walkover into the semi-finals.