Carlos Alcaraz remains in the Paris Masters draw, while a number of top players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev crashed out.
Alcaraz beat Alex Michelsen 7-6(4), 6-3 to extend his winning streak to six matches after winning the Vienna Open last week.
The Spaniard is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament, with new world number one Alexander Zverev losing to Lorenzo Musetti in his opening match in Paris.
Zverev was one of a number of seeded casualties on day three of the Paris Masters, which also included Djokovic losing to Rinky Hijikata, while Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur have also lost, and now Alcaraz has reacted to the number of big losses.
Carlos Alcaraz comments on Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev’s defeats in Paris
Following his victory over Michelsen, Alcaraz spoke to press in Paris, where he was specifically asked about the losses Zverev and Djokovic suffered in the French capital.
Alcaraz admitted that he was aware of how the draw had been impacted, despite trying to remain focused on himself. The world number three also highlighted how tough the draw is at the Paris Masters, which is one of only two one-week ATP 1000 tournaments remaining on the tennis calendar.
“Of course I like to look at the draw,” said Alcaraz. “I love watching the matches, the Masters 1000’s in a week we could watch great matches in the first round.
“So every round is really difficult, it could be the final of a 500 or even the final of a 1000, so you have to be ready and you have to be really focused on every round. It’s been a really difficult day for the top guys, but you know I just try not to think about it and I try to step out there playing my best, try to play my best and enjoy.”
The only top 10 seeds remaining ahead at the last-16 stage of the Paris Masters are Alcaraz, Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils.
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Carlos Alcaraz admits what he found ‘difficult’ about his first match at the Paris Masters
While he has been able to survive the series of defeats to top seed so far, Alcaraz has previously struggled at the Paris Masters, having never surpassed the quarter-finals of the tournament so far. Alcaraz has admitted that he found the speed of the courts at the Paris Masters difficult once again, as well as speaking about the challenges of facing someone like Michelsen.
“Well it was way faster this court compared to Vienna, which for me was really difficult at the beginning,” explained Alcaraz. “I knew at the beginning of the day that it was going to be a really tough day because, you know facing Alex is always tough. The way he plays really flat, really aggressive, big serve, trying to go to the net as much as he can, it’s always tough no matter the conditions.
“But you know, for me I haven’t touched this court yet, it was the first time that I stepped on the court here and felt the speed of the court, the balls, everything, how it was going to react, it was on my mind to be honest.
“Really happy that I handled everything really well, I managed to play great tennis, strong mentally when the difficulties came and I would say today gave me great feedback to understand how I should play on this court, how I should move. I understand the game, so I just can’t wait to play again tomorrow.”
Alcaraz will now hope to return to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters for the first time since 2022, with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini being his next opponent. This will be a fifth meeting between the two players, with Alcaraz leading his head-to-head against Berrettini 3-1.
