World number one Juan Carlos Ferrero was given a first set scare by French wildcard Nicolas Mahut before sealing a 7-6 6-4 win in the Paris Masters second round on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Mahut slugged it out from the baseline with the top seed throughout, breaking the French Open champion in the fifth game and earning a set point in the tiebreak before losing it 9-7.

The Spaniard looked uncomfortable for much of the match in the face of a player who was not afraid to go for his shots.

But Mahut suddenly ran out of steam in the ninth game of the second set, netting three simple shots at the net to allow Ferrero to break and the Spaniard sealed victory in the next game.

Ferrero is in a three-way battle with Andy Roddick and Roger Federer to finish number one in the Champions Race. The Paris Masters is the final tournament of the regular season before the eight-man Masters Cup in Houston next month.

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