Ranked 10th at the end of last year, Andy Roddick is primed to take advantage of his two rivals' exhaustion and finish a long season as world number one.

Roddick's victory at Paris Masters brings him on top of ATP.

The American took over from Juan Carlos Ferrero at the top of the rankings during last week's Paris Masters and now heads for the season-ending Masters Cup in Houston.

Roddick, winner of six titles this season including the US Open, missed out on a chance to put clear water between himself and French Open champion Ferrero by losing to eventual winner Tim Henman in the Paris semi-finals.

Roddick now leads his Spanish rival by just 26 points which means every match at the eight-man Masters will matter - players get 20 points for winning each of their three round robin matches, 40 for a semi-final win and a further 50 for the title.

Wimbledon champion Roger Federer still has a chance, on paper, of overtaking Roddick but his deficit of 142 points means becoming the first Swiss men's number one will probably have to wait another year.

What could weigh heavily in Roddick's favour is his state of mind and fitness - the American appeared revived by reaching the top spot and unfazed by losing his last two semi-finals.

"I'm too hyper to feel tired," he said after losing to Henman. He plans this week to work out in the gym and on the training court before arriving in Houston shortly before the tournament starts.

By contrast Ferrero and Federer looked exhausted during their defeats in Paris - Ferrero's season started on January 6 and he has played 83 singles matches. After the Houston event he must prepare for the Davis Cup final against Australia.

"I'm tired and I have to travel a lot before I finish the year," he said. "I have one more week until I go to Houston and then one week to the Davis Cup.

"So I think I have enough time to take some rest and then get ready to play."

POOR YEAR

Australian Lleyton Hewitt ended 2001 and 2002 as world number one but, after a comparatively poor year, he is concentrating on preparing for the Davis Cup final.

Federer, whose season started last December in Doha, has played 90 singles and his game all but collapsed in the second set of his Paris quarter-final against Henman. The crowd booed him off the court at the end of his 7-6 6-1 defeat.

Federer had hurt his back at the previous tournament in Basel, where he lost in the second round, and he cannot wait for the end of the year.

"I played horrible the whole week, especially from the baseline. I just don't know what happened. It doesn't give me any confidence for Houston," he said.

Roddick is 21, Federer 22, and Ferrero 23, and they will probably find the freshest player at the Houston tournament will be the oldest, Andre Agassi, who has been at home looking after baby number two with wife Steffi Graf.

Agassi started the year by winning the Australian Open and took the title in four of the 12 tournaments he entered. He has not played since the US Open and will be keen to show young Roddick that experience still counts for something.

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