Alexander Zverev endured a difficult start to his first week as the world No 1 tennis player, suffering a straight-sets defeat to Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters.
Defeat in Paris
Zverev ascended to the top of the global rankings when they were updated on Monday. After receiving a bye into the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament, he was beaten 7-6(5) 6-2 by the in-form Italian.
Zverev held a 5-2 lead during the first set tie-break, but Musetti rallied by claiming six of the final seven points to secure the opening set. Musetti then gained momentum in the second set, breaking serve to lead 2-1 and earning another break for a 5-2 advantage before serving out the match.
The loss extends Zverev’s drought without a Masters title to two full seasons, with his previous victory at this level also coming in Paris back in 2024.
Musetti’s Form and Reaction
Musetti, a former world No 5 who is currently ranked 24th, has faced an injury-plagued 2026 season that began with a five-set loss to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals. However, he has experienced a strong run recently, capturing his first title in four years in Lyon the previous month.
Musetti told sports.yahoo.com that his performance was exceptional against a strong server. “It’s pretty shocking the level I was able to play in front of Sascha, who was serving really well, especially in the first set,” he stated.
Musetti added: “It was really close. It could have gone both ways. The key was to stay there at 5-2 [in the tie-break]. I played five great points in a row.”
The two-time grand slam semi-finalist finished the contest with 29 winners and eight aces during a match that lasted an hour and 40 minutes at La Defense Arena in Paris.
With this victory, Musetti has triumphed in eight of his last nine ATP tour matches and advances to a third-round fixture against French player Luca Van Assche.
ATP Finals Qualification
Earlier on Wednesday, Arthur Fils secured his qualification for the ATP Finals for the first time in his career. He becomes the first Frenchman to feature at the prestigious year-end tournament in a decade, following Gael Monfils, who was honored in a retirement ceremony in Paris this week.
