TENNIS: Alcaraz exits Paris Masters in thriller, Zverev through to face Tsitsipas

Alcaraz exits Paris Masters in thriller, Zverev through to face Tsitsipas

Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion of both the French Open and Wimbledon, was unable to advance to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, succumbing to a thrilling defeat against local favorite Ugo Humbert with a score of 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 on Thursday. 

Humbert, currently ranked 18th in the world, dominated the first set, which he concluded in just 26 minutes, as Alcaraz struggled to establish his game. However, the world number two from Spain rallied back, seizing a 5-2 advantage in the second set before securing it with a commanding hold to love. Despite this resurgence, Humbert, energized by the support of the home crowd, ultimately triumphed in the third set, marking him as the first French player to defeat a top-five opponent at this tournament since 2019, when his coach Jeremy Chardy overcame Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

In a post-match press conference, Alcaraz expressed his admiration for Humbert's performance, stating, "I have to congratulate Ugo. I think his performance has been really high. You know, the way he hits the ball is unbelievable. It's amazing." The four-time Grand Slam winner also noted that the court's speed was unexpected and significantly contributed to his subpar performance, indicating that it had changed considerably from previous years. "It is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour right now. Probably the fastest one in the last 10 years in this tournament. I play the Davis Cup indoor court, and the court was way slower than this one," Alcaraz remarked.

Earlier in the day, third seed Alexander Zverev overcame 20th-ranked Frenchman Arthur Fils with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, recovering from a dip in the second set to set up a match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 10th-seeded Tsitsipas also advanced, coming back from a closely contested first set to defeat Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2. Additionally, ninth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia staged a comeback to win against Britain's Jack Draper, finishing 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. His fellow Australian, Jordan Thompson, secured his place in the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over

Unseeded Russian Khachanov will meet eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals after the Bulgarian survived a nail-biting third set tiebreak against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech to secure a 6-2 4-6 7-6(5) victory.

Holger Rune struggled against French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux, who had replaced Jannik Sinner after the world number one pulled out with a virus. However, Danish 13th seed Rune recovered from a set down to win 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Rune next faces De Minaur while Thompson meets Humbert.

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