Paris Masters: Zverev and Djokovic Crash Out, Alcaraz Survives

Photo: Antonio Borga, Eurasia Sport Images, via Getty Images and NBC Sports

It was a brutal day for the big names in Paris. World number one Alexander Zverev lost his first match since taking the top ranking, and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic lost too, both knocked out of the Paris Masters on Wednesday. Only Carlos Alcaraz among the favourites kept his nerve, reaching the last 16.

Zverev had waited his whole career to reach number one. He finally got there this month after winning the French Open and the US Open this year, his first two Grand Slam titles. His first match as the top man lasted just two sets.

Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 24th in the world, beat him 7-6 (7/5), 6-2. Zverev had the first set tie-break in his hands, then lost five points in a row and six of the next eight games. Dawn, carrying an AFP report, quoted him afterwards: "I feel like I'm the only world number one in tennis history that has to explain why it's okay for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today."

To AP, via NBC Sports, he was even blunter: "Yeah, I was bad. It's quite simple. This was not a very good match for me, I think maybe one of the worst in the last couple of months." Musetti, a former world number five, said he had expected the hardest test in the sport and was happy he took his chances.

Djokovic's exit hurt in a different way. The 39-year-old Serb, a seven-time Paris champion, won the first set against Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, ranked 83rd, then lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. He needed to reach the semi-finals to keep any chance of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. That chance is now gone, and he told reporters his plan for the coming weeks was "just rest". In plain terms, his season is effectively over.

Alcaraz, the second seed, avoided the same fate. The 23-year-old Spaniard beat American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in the night session, coming back from 4-1 down in the first set tie-break by winning six points in a row. "It's been a really difficult day for the top guys," he said on court. He now faces Matteo Berrettini, and his winning run has reached six matches.

It was not just the top two who fell. Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev lost in straight sets to Peru's Ignacio Buse, and seventh seed Frances Tiafoe lost 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (11/9) to Frenchman Quentin Halys. That last result had a silver lining for France: it meant Arthur Fils qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, which run from 15 to 22 November, and the 22-year-old then beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to close the day.

The results round off a wild week of sport, after Como's record 9-1 win at Lens and Dortmund's late win at Real Betis in the Champions League, with Arsenal and Manchester City also winning late on Wednesday night in the same competition.

Sources

• Dawn (AFP): No. 1 Zverev, Djokovic crash out of Paris Masters, Alcaraz advances
• NBC Sports (AP): Zverev's tenure as No. 1 begins with bad loss at Paris Masters, Djokovic also goes out

What happens next: Ben Shelton headlines Thursday's day session against home favourite Arthur Rinderknech, before Alcaraz returns at night against Berrettini.

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