Carlos Alcaraz falls to Roman Safiullin in Paris Masters, Novak Djokovic makes comeback in doubles
Carlos Alcaraz’s World Number One Hopes Shattered in Shocking Paris Masters Defeat
In a surprising turn of events at the Paris Masters, Spain’s rising star Carlos Alcaraz suffered a setback in his quest to finish the year as the world number one. Despite receiving a bye in the first round, Alcaraz was stunned by Roman Safiullin, ranked 45th in the world.
The match saw an exceptional performance from Russian qualifier Safiullin who outplayed Alcaraz throughout. The Spanish talent struggled to find answers and produced below-par tennis on this occasion.
This loss now poses a difficult challenge for Alcaraz if he aims to surpass Novak Djokovic and claim the top spot before the season concludes.
Alcaraz, who secured his second Grand Slam title with victory at Wimbledon earlier this year, had recently withdrawn from Basel due to injury. This match marked his return since losing in Shanghai over two weeks ago.
The 20-year-old managed to take an early lead in both sets but failed to maintain it as Safiullin fought back impressively. The Russian capitalized on weak second serves from Alcaraz and demonstrated excellent skills when approaching the net.
“Against Carlos, you have to raise your level of play and I was able to do just that,” stated Safiullin after his triumph.
“Although Carlos may not have been at his best today, it is still challenging to defeat him given his talent. I am pleased with my victory.”
Safiullin’s next opponent will be fellow countryman Karen Khachanov in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, world number one Novak Djokovic made a successful return to the court alongside his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the doubles event. After not competing since winning the US Open, Djokovic and Kecmanovic secured a straight-set victory against Gonzalo Escobar from Ecuador and Aleksandr Nedovyesov from Kazakhstan.
In Wednesday’s singles match, Djokovic will face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry as he begins his pursuit for an unprecedented seventh title at this tournament.
Unfortunately, American player Taylor Fritz had to withdraw from his second-round match due to an abdominal injury. This setback has likely affected Fritz’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin next month.
“I am devastated to have to pull out when there is so much on the line,” expressed Fritz as he reflected on his unfortunate situation.