Federer, 37, who captured his 99th trophy on home ground in Basel last week, will face Japan’s Kei Nishikori on Friday for a place in the semi-finals in the French capital.

Third seed Federer is playing the Paris Masters for the first time since 2015 and is bidding to clinch the tournament for just the second time after winning it in 2011.

“I didn’t come here to win Paris, actually. My objective is London,” said Federer as he looked beyond the French capital to the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals which start on November 11.

Nishikori, seeded 10, made the quarter-finals by beating Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to avenge his defeat to the big South African in Sunday’s Vienna final.

Federer leads Nishikori 6-2 in career meetings having won their last four clashes.

The Japanese’s last win over the 20-time major winner came in 2014.

January’s qualifying event will select a local to test their mettle against the LPGA’s top 70 earners in the country’s biggest golf tournament, which will offer prize money of US$1.6 million (Bt53 million).

While just one Thai is guaranteed a spot from the qualifiers, there should be at least six home players in action at the Siam Country Club Pattaya, Old Course next year.

The five others are world No1 Ariya Jutanugarn, her elder sister Moriya, Thai No3 Pornanong Phatlum, No4 Thidapa Suwannapura and teenage prodigy Atthaya Thitikul, who has been given a special invitation.

Over the past 12 years no Thai has ever won the home title – only Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn have even come close, finishing second in 2013 and 2018 respectively.

World No 17 Moriya, who is taking a break from the Tour this week, hopes the trophy will finally belong to a home player.

“Everybody stands a shot at winning. It will always be a week for someone and of course I wish that will be a Thai players. Several Thai players are up-and-coming. Hopefully it will be our year,” said Moriya, one of the three Thais to win on the Tour this season, along with Ariya and Thidapa.

To celebrate its 13th year, the 2019 LPGA Thailand will carry the tagline as “Dream Big” a concept that aims to inspire interest in golf and build passion among professionals, enthusiasts and junior players from all backgrounds and all levels.

“We want to encourage them to pursue and realize their dreams, and have always believed that anyone can achieve great success if they are determined,” said Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Chief Operating Officer of Honda Automobile (Thailand).

The Honda LPGA Thailand 2019 will feature 70 female golfers, including 58 professionals from the 2019 LPGA Priority List, the winners from the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic 2019 and 2019 ISPS Honda Women’s Australian Open, as well as nine invited players and the winner from the Honda LPGA Thailand National Qualifiers.

Additionally, in 2019, a collaboration between Honda and the Sports Authority of Thailand will see a host of special events leading up to the Honda LPGA Thailand, titled ‘The Road to Honda LPGA Thailand’, which aim to further promote golf around the country.

Apart from the qualifying tournament, there will also be a Young Ambassadors Seminar, which aims to provide students interested in golf and sports management an in-depth understanding of the sport as a business as well as the different aspects of hosting an international golf tournament. Some outstanding students will also have a chance to obtain an internship abroad.

The Road to Honda LPGA Thailand will also include a Golf Leaders Conference, a special event held for senios people in the industry.

Vichai, 60, was Thailand’s fifth-richest man when he died in the horrific accident after watching his team play on Saturday.

He made billions from his King Power duty-free monopoly in Thailand, using the cash to invest in hotels, horses and Leicester’s once-unremarkable football club, which shocked the sporting world by winning the Premier League in 2016.

In the first public reaction from the family, Aiyawatt — better known by his nickname “Top” — thanked people for the messages of support from across the world.

“I’m extremely proud to have such an extraordinary father,” he said in an Instagram post shared by King Power’s press office.

“I’m touched by how many people kept him close to their hearts.”

Vichai leaves behind a wife, and four children, two sons and two daughters. All five are on the executive board of King Power.

But Top — already vice-chairman of Leicester — appeared to confirm he has been anointed to lead at least parts of the King Power empire.

“He (Vichai) has left me with a legacy to continue and I will do everything I can to carry on his big vision and dreams,” the post said.

Announcing his withdrawal at a hastily arranged press conference Nadal said: “My abdominal muscles haven’t felt good for the past few days, especially on serve, doctors recommended that I didn’t play.”

Djokovic arrived in Paris knowing that he would regain the top spot he relinquished two years ago if he bettered the Spaniard’s performance at the indoor event he has won four times.

The Wimbledon and US Open champion becomes the first player to start the season outside the top 20 and end up top of the ATP rankings since Marat Safin in 2000.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion had begun his pursuit of the top spot in encouraging fashion with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Joao Sousa on Tuesday, his 19th consecutive win.

For Nadal it means delaying his long awaited comeback from injury which has kept him sidelined since the US Open.

Nadal was forced to withdraw from his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in early September with a knee injury.

The problem also sidelined him for Spain’s Davis Cup semi-final against France, and also from tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai.

“It’s been a difficult year for me in terms of injuries, and so I’d prefer to avoid doing anything drastic,” he told the media minutes before his intended match against compatriot Fernando Verdasco who instead faced — and lost to — Tunisian lucky loser Malek Jaziri.

“It wouldn’t have been good for me nor anyone to return to the court knowing that I wouldn’t be able to play my best.

During his enforced time out Nadal joined in the clean-up operation after flash floods killed 12 people on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca where he lives.

After Paris the ATP tour’s eight top-ranked players congregate in London from November 11 for the season’s Finals.

The 32-year-old Nadal has enjoyed a successful year, clinching his 17th Grand Slam title by winning an 11th French Open in June, after triumphs in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.

— Federer opponent pulls out —

But it is Djokovic who will be top dog when the latest ATP rankings appear on Monday, irrespective of his fate in the French capital this week.

Despite the blow the tournament organisers will be relieved to see Roger Federer making his first appearance at the competition since 2015.

The Swiss great starts his quest for his 100th ATP title in the last 16 on Thursday after his Wednesday rival Milos Raonic withdrew through an elbow injury.

World number three Federer will face Italy’s Fabio Fognini, ranked 14, who made the next round when Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics withdrew injured.

Elsewhere, German fourth seed Alexander Zverev, playing his 70th match of the season, defeated Frances Tiafoe of the United States 6-4, 6-4 while defending champion Jack Sock put out Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-3.

South African seventh seed Kevin Anderson, the champion in Vienna at the weekend, battled past Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/3).

Anderson next faces Japan’s 10th seed Kei Nishikori, who he defeated in the Austria final. Nishikori made the last-16 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Adrian Mannarino of France.

Bulgarian ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov, who is working with US legend Andre Agassi in Paris, went through with a 7-6 (12/10), 6-4 victory over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut.

World number eight Dominic Thiem boosted his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals, beating Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2 and next faces Borna Coric for a quarter-final slot.

With three events remaining on the 2018 LPGA Tour schedule, Jutanugarn leads the standings with 219 points, 83 ahead of second-placed Korean Sung Hyun Park, and cannot be caught.

“It feels great to win this award for a second time, and I’m really excited about that,” said Jutanugarn, a 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour who returned to the No 1 spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings on Monday.

“I’ve played well this season and it’s a huge honour for me to have my name on this trophy again. I would also like to thank my entire team. I am grateful to be working with all of them, and I am blessed to have my family and my sponsors who believe in me. I would also like to thank all my fans in Thailand. I am really proud to be from Thailand, and to win this prestigious award.”

The 25-year-old Bangkok Glass midfielder featured in the team that won the last two Suzuki Cups, in 2014 and 2016, and will again be one of its most experienced players in the Asean tournament that runs from November 8 to December 15.

“Bravery is one of the essential factors. When you play for the country, there’s a lot of pressure out there. If you fear and feel stiff, it will affect your performance a great deal,” said Tanaboon, who was also a member of the 2013 and 2015 SEA Games gold medallist teams.

With many younger players being recruited this year, Tanaboon also warned they need to be alert at all times and that letting their guard downs, even for a moment, could derail all their plans.

“Never take it easy. Even an easy game can suddenly go bad if you are not careful,” he said. “You can end up losing in just a fraction of second.”

Although Thailand have won five of the last 10 Suzuki Cups, Tanaboon reckons their rivals will be extra motivated to break their stranglehold on the tournament.

“It’s been so tough to win the last two times. Every team is determined to overthrow us as the No 1 in this region. On the bright side, when they push us to the limit, we are motivated to improve even further,” he said.

Meanwhile, national coach Milovan Rajevac now has his entire 27-man squad in camp after Buriram and Chiangrai ended their FA Cup final commitments at the weekend.

“From now on the training will become harder as we need to work on the physical toughness of the players. We will also focus on both the offensive and defensive aspects of our game,” the Serbian said.

Yamaha arrived in Australia on their worst ever losing streak but after a stunning victory for Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) at Phillip Island, the drought is over for the Iwata marque. Now we head for a very different venue in a very different climate, however: the Malaysian masterpiece of Sepang International Circuit. Hot, long and challenging, Sepang is far from the cool breeze and chilly evenings of the Island and could well throw up a very different race.

Viñales looked unstoppable in Australia and was back on the top step for the first time since Le Mans in 2017, boosting his confidence and adding a spring to his step on the way to Malaysia so he’ll be one to watch for sure. For teammate Valentino Rossi it wasn’t quite the same weekend, however, as the ‘Doctor’ fought for second before then getting relegated to sixth by the flag. Viñales has reversed the trend of late and that means the two are now separated by only 15 points in the Championship – will he continue to turn the screw? Or will the vastly different venue turn the tables once again?

15 points is now also the gap between Rossi and second overall Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) – so it’s all in play behind newly-crowned Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Ducati took a 1-2 at the venue last year, too – and Dovizioso won that and the 2016 race. Will the Italian be able to do the hattrick and win in 2018 too? He said Phillip Island was important to see how they’d improved this season, given it had always been a more difficult venue – and he took third, and fought for second. That’s a big leap forward so back on ground with a stunning track record, can anyone bet against ‘DesmoDovi’?

His teammate last time out, Alvaro Bautista, also had great pace at the Island on the GP18 so it wasn’t a one-pony trick for the Borgo Panigale factory. But he now returns to the Angel Nieto Team as, in turn, Jorge Lorenzo returns from injury. Keyhole surgery undertaken and on the mend, the five-time World Champion should be fit to race – so what can he do? Second last year was a good showing but even more pivotal was Lorenzo’s form in testing earlier in the season: he was at his poetry-in-motion best to put in the fastest ever lap of Sepang International Circuit.

Not so fast, however – at least on paper. The fastest official lap, from a race weekend, remains Dani Pedrosa’s 2015 1:59.053 and the ‘Little Samurai’ has some serious form at Sepang: five poles and three premier class wins. Higher temperatures raise expectations too, so what can Pedrosa do coming back from a DNF?

His teammate Marquez, meanwhile, also ended up with a 0 in Australia. Hit from behind by Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and sustaining too much damage, he agreed it was a racing incident but both didn’t manage to finish – leaving a few usual suspects out of the mix at the front. Marquez has only one win at Sepang in the premier class, taken in 2014, but he’s been showing similar signs to that season’s domination a few times in 2018 – and the title is already done. Will he be straight back on top?

For Zarco, it’s a different situation. With Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) out through injury in Australia, it presented somewhat of an open goal in the Independent Team rider standings to Zarco and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), although neither were ultimately able to capitalise – instead it was Team Suzuki Ecstar on the move in the standings and threatening all three after a second place for Andrea Iannone and a fifth for Alex Rins. Now, though, Zarco and Petrucci have another shot at it and Crutchlow’s 148 points is within reach for both. Will Suzuki gain again or can they pull clear? The Hamamatsu factory aren’t in the fight for top Independent Team rider but overall position is important too…

One man who will hope it’s more an Independent Team weekend again is home hero Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). Heading into his first home Grand Prix in the premier class, the Malaysian crashed out in Australia but took a top ten in Japan and is on form in terms of pace. After key rival for Rookie of the Year Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) took P8 at Phillip Island, those top honours may now be out of reach for Syahrin but his home race stands alone in some ways: thousands of fans in one of the most packed and vocal venues in the world will be behind ‘Pescao’, and he’ll want to do them proud.

The heat is on at Sepang and another piece of the puzzle will be played out at 300km/h around the fast and challenging circuit – so who can tame the Malaysian masterpiece? Find out on Sunday 4th November.

Championship Standings

1 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA 296 points

2 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 210

3 – Valentino Rossi (ITA) YAMAHA 195

4 – Maverick Viñales (SPA) YAMAHA 180

5 – Cal Crutchlow (GBR) HONDA 148

Thai billionaire Vichai was among five people killed when his helicopter crashed outside Leicester’s King Power Stadium following Saturday’s match against West Ham.

With mourners flocking to the stadium and the crash site cordoned off as investigators picked through the wreckage, Leicester had already postponed Tuesday’s scheduled home League Cup tie against Southampton.

But the club announced on Tuesday that they will make the trip to south Wales to face Cardiff this weekend.

A minute’s silence will be observed before kick-off at the Cardiff City Stadium and players will wear black armbands in Vichai’s honour.

“Leicester City’s Premier League fixture at Cardiff City this Saturday will go ahead as scheduled, as the club continues its tributes to its late chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha,” a statement read.

“An announcement on the rearrangement of the club’s League Cup fourth round tie against Southampton, postponed earlier this week, will be made in due course.”

Cardiff chief executive Ken Choo was respectful of Leicester’s wish to return to action seven days after the horrific accident.

“Following Saturday evening’s terrible events at King Power Stadium, the thoughts and feelings of Leicester City FC are at the forefront of our minds,” Choo said.

“As such, we will be offering our support to Leicester City in any way necessary in respect of this weekend’s fixture.”

The death of the charismatic Vichai has stunned the football world, with tributes pouring in from around the globe.

Vichai’s heavy investment after buying Leicester in 2010 transformed the unglamourous club into shock Premier League champions as 5,000-1 outsiders in 2016.

The 60-year-old was widely admired in Leicester for his charitable donations to the local community.

That warmth was reflected in the outpouring of grief following the news of Vichai’s death.

Vichai’s son Aiyawatt and widow Aimon walked through a sea of tributes from fans outside the stadium on Monday, including flowers, football scarves and Buddhist statues.

Vichai’s son is chief executive of his father’s duty-free empire King Power and also vice-chairman of Leicester.

Aiyawatt was joined by the Leicester team, including striker Jamie Vardy, centre-back Harry Maguire and keeper Kasper Schmeichel, with the group pausing in reflection in front of the flowers.

Leicester have also opened a book of condolence in memory of Vichai in a marquee at the stadium, while the City Hall and County Hall will light up in blue this week to honour Vichai.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are still conducting their investigation into what caused Saturday’s tragedy.

Djokovic can regain top spot from Rafael Nadal this week if he betters the Spaniard’s performance in the French capital, where the Serb is a four-time winner of the indoor tournament.

Djokovic had never dropped a set in five previous meetings with Portugal’s Sousa, but he surrendered a 4-1 lead in the opener and appeared under the weather before regrouping to break Sousa at 6-5.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion then reeled off five games in a row to end Sousa’s resistance and book a meeting with Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia in the last 16.

Dzumhur defeated rising Greek star and 14th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-3.

Federer will play Canada’s Milos Raonic on Wednesday after receiving a bye in the first round.

Federer’s only tournament victory in Bercy came in 2011. On his last appearance in 2015 he was knocked out by American John Isner in the round of 16.

The Swiss star missed the event the past two years due to a combination of injury and selective scheduling. He has also sat out the last three French Opens.

It is the first non-Grand Slam event to feature Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic since last year’s Indian Wells Masters.

“I feel like it’s better for me to play matches rather than practice, and I think that’s it. As long as I don’t feel like I’m taking a chance on my health prior to London (the ATP Tour Finals), that’s the key as well,” Federer said.

“I’m happy to play tomorrow. I feel like I recovered well from last week. So yeah, I’ll give it a go tomorrow. I’m excited,” he added, after winning the Swiss indoor championships in Basel on Sunday.

– Federer says no to Saudi Arabia –

Raonic fired 23 aces as he outlasted France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) in his opening match.

Federer also revealed he had received an invite to take part in an exhibition featuring Nadal and Djokovic in Saudi Arabia in December, but the 37-year-old said he turned down the approach.

“I didn’t want to play there at that time. So, for me, it was a very quick decision,” said Federer.

Nadal and Djokovic are scheduled to meet in Jeddah on December 22, but they have faced growing calls to withdraw following the murder of a Saudi journalist in the country’s consulate in Istanbul.

Both players this week have said they are assessing the situation and have yet to make a final decision over their participation.

Nadal, who has never won the Paris Masters, begins his campaign in the French capital against fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over France’s Jeremy Chardy.

Fifth seed Marin Cilic cruised into the third round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Gilles Simon was the only one of six Frenchmen to advance on Tuesday, defeating compatriot Lucas Pouille 6-3, 6-4, with Pierre-Hugues Herbert and qualifier Benoit Paire losing to Mikhail Kukushkin and Marton Fucsovics respectively.