Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alex Michelsen 7-6, 6-3 in the second round of the Paris Masters.
Playing his first match in Paris this year, Alcaraz booked his place in the third round with a hard-fought win over Michelsen. The Spaniard didn’t run away with the match as some predicted, but he advanced nevertheless.
Former American doubles star Ryan Harrison watched the match from courtside and was keen to deliver his verdict on Alcaraz’s performance. The 34-year-old gave Alcaraz a rating out of 10 for his second-round win.
Ryan Harrison gives Carlos Alcaraz an 8.5 rating for his win over Alex Michelsen in Paris
“I’m going to give him an 8.5; it could obviously be a little bit cleaner from his perspective. Early on, he missed a couple of forehands. But then, as the crunch time hit, in that tiebreak when he was down a mini-break, that forehand started firing,” said Harrison during Sky Sports’ post-match coverage.
“Did a really good job there, having to face a break point midway through the second set, saved it nicely with a good aggressive play, and kept that momentum going as he broke and served out the match with comfort.”
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Harrison was then asked to explain why Alcaraz has historically struggled on indoor hard courts. The Spaniard recently won his second title on the surface in Vienna, but has a relatively poor record at the Paris Masters (6-5).
“His movement is a lot better than most players on tour; he has a significant advantage. What that means is that on slow courts it’s really hard to win these extended rallies against him; your best chance is if you take it to him, you play extremely aggressively, and try to get him in one or two shots, really,” he said.
“Faster conditions, indoor conditions make it a little easier to do that, especially for the bigger servers. So it gives them an opportunity to try and end the points quickly indoors; you don’t have that on other surfaces.”
On paper, Michelsen would’ve backed himself against Alcaraz on the Spaniard’s weakest surface, but failed to mount a serious challenge. Alcaraz will now look ahead to the third round and a draw that has opened up in a big way…
Only five seeds remain at the Paris Masters
Today was a bad day for seeded players in the French capital. The likes of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex de Minaur all lost. Alcaraz is now one of just five seeds remaining in the draw.
Seeds at the 2026 Paris Masters
- [1] Alexander Zverev – OUT
- [2] Carlos Alcaraz – Third round vs Matteo Berrettini
- [3] Ben Shelton – Third round vs Arthur Rinderknech
- [4] Daniil Medvedev – OUT
- [5] Flavio Cobolli – OUT
- [6] Arthur Fils – Second round vs Tomas Machac
- [7] Frances Tiafoe – OUT
- [8] Alex de Minaur – OUT
- [9] Rafael Jodar – OUT
- [10] Novak Djokovic – OUT
- [11] Taylor Fritz – Third round vs Arthur Fils/Tomas Machac
- [12] Tommy Paul – Third round vs Quentin Halys
- [13] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – OUT
- [14] Brandon Nakashima – OUT
- [15] Learner Tien – OUT
- [16] Francisco Cerundolo – OUT
Fans are guaranteed to see a new champion crowned in Paris this year, and Alcaraz will surely fancy his chances now. The seven-time Grand Slam winner will play Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the third round, an opponent he should beat fairly comfortably.
Then, in the quarter-finals Alcaraz could play Taylor Fritz, Arthur Fils, or Tomas Machac. All three players could trouble the 23-year-old, even if he would walk on the court a heavy favourite.
Alcaraz can’t play a seed in the semis, but could face the third seed Ben Shelton or the 12th seed Tommy Paul in the championship match. The 2026 Paris Masters final will be contested on Sunday, November 8.
