Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, faced a tough defeat in the Paris Masters, failing to reach the quarter-finals after a close 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 match against French favorite Ugo Humbert. Ranked 18th globally, Humbert secured the first set within just 26 minutes, with Alcaraz struggling to find his form.
The world number two from Spain fought back fiercely in the second set, gaining a 5-2 lead and clinching the set with a flawless service game. However, Humbert, energized by the support of the home crowd, regained control in the deciding set to claim victory. This win marked a milestone as Humbert became the first French player since 2019 to defeat a top-five opponent at the Paris tournament; his coach, Jeremy Chardy, had last achieved this by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the second round. Alcaraz noted that the speed of the court, which had changed significantly from previous years, contributed to his struggles.
Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev, the third seed, advanced after a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Arthur Fils, the 20th-ranked French player. Zverev’s next challenge will be a quarter-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who overcame a challenging start to eliminate Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina in a 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2 comeback.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the ninth seed, also staged a comeback, beating Britain’s Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. His fellow Australian, Jordan Thompson, secured his spot in the last eight after a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. However, Alexei Popyrin, another Australian competitor, did not advance as he was defeated by Russia’s Karen Khachanov with a score of 7-6(5), 6-4.
Khachanov, unseeded in the tournament, is set to face eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals. Dimitrov narrowly survived his match against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5) in a thrilling third-set tiebreak.
Danish 13th seed Holger Rune also progressed, overcoming a challenging start against French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux, who stepped in for Jannik Sinner after the top-ranked player withdrew due to illness. Rune managed to rally for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, setting him up to face De Minaur in the next round, while Thompson will meet Humbert in his quarter-final match.