Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alex Michelsen 7-6(4), 6-3 to extend his winning streak to six matches at the Paris Masters. The victory came as several top-ranked players crashed out, including world number one Alexander Zverev, who lost to Lorenzo Musetti, and Novak Djokovic, who fell to Rinky Hijikata. Alcaraz is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, with only Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils among the other top 10 seeds still in contention.
When asked about the departures of elite competitors, Alcaraz acknowledged tracking the draw but emphasized his focus on individual performance. He noted that Paris Masters matches compress elite-level competition into shorter timeframes, making every round potentially as difficult as a finals match. "Every round is really difficult, it could be the final of a 500 or even the final of a 1000," Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz struggled initially with the court's speed, which played faster than last week's Vienna surface. He also found Michelsen's aggressive baseline game and serve-and-volley approach challenging throughout the match. The Spaniard has never advanced past the quarterfinals at Paris, seeking to improve his tournament record going forward.
