Zverev's tenure as No. 1 in men's tennis begins with 2nd-round loss to Musetti at Paris Masters
Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns the ball against Lorenzo Musetti, of Italy, during their second-round match at the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, near Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Credit: AP/Teresa Suarez
PARIS — Alexander Zverev's tenure as the No. 1 in men's tennis started with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 defeat to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Zverev moved to the top ranking on Monday, capping off a fine season which saw him win the first two Grand Slam titles of his career at the French Open and the U.S. Open.
Despite playing on a fast indoor court which suited his serve and aggressive ground strokes, the imposing German looked out of sorts against Musetti. The mercurial Italian clinched victory with an ace in a one-sided contest where he had more winners (29-25) and less unforced errors (12-21) than Zverev.
Later Wednesday, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic faced qualifier Rinky Hijikata and seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz played American Alex Michelsen. Fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev took on Ignacio Buse.
Djokovic needs to reach the semifinals to stand a chance of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals later this month. Only two spots remain for the Nov. 15-22 event in Turin, with only an ATP250 event remaining in Stockholm after Paris.
In other second-round play, three-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe — seeded No. 7 — wasted four match points in a 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (9) loss to Frenchman Quentin Halys.
Tiafoe's defeat qualified Arthur Fils for the ATP Finals. He is the first Frenchman to reach the event since Gael Monfils in 2016.
Lorenzo Musetti of Italy returns the ball to Alexander Zverev of Germany during the second round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Nanterre, Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Credit: AP/Teresa Suarez
More tennis
