Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion of the French Open and Wimbledon, was eliminated from the Paris Masters after a closely contested match against local favorite Ugo Humbert, losing 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. The Frenchman, currently ranked 18th in the world, dominated the first set, taking just 26 minutes to secure it as Alcaraz struggled to find his footing. However, the world number two rallied in the second set, seizing a 5-2 lead and closing it out with a commanding hold.
Despite Alcaraz's efforts, Humbert capitalized on the support of the home crowd to claim victory in the final set. This win marked a significant achievement for Humbert, as he became the first French player to defeat a top-five opponent at the Paris Masters since 2019. In a post-match press conference, Alcaraz praised Humbert's exceptional performance, noting the incredible way he struck the ball. The Spanish player also highlighted that the speed of the court caught him off guard, indicating it was the fastest he had encountered at the Masters 1000 level, impacting his performance significantly.
In other matches, third seed Alexander Zverev overcame 20th-ranked Arthur Fils with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, setting up a quarter-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, who advanced by defeating Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2. Ninth seed Alex de Minaur also came from behind to beat Britain's Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Meanwhile, Jordan Thompson reached the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 7-6(5) win over Adrian Mannarino, while Alexei Popyrin was eliminated by Karen Khachanov, who won 7-6(5), 6-4.
Unseeded Khachanov will face eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the next round after Dimitrov secured a tight victory over Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(5). Additionally, Danish 13th seed Holger Rune managed to overcome a set deficit against French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Rune is set to face De Minaur next, while Thompson will take on Humbert in the quarter-finals.
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