11/04/2026 10:18:00
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11/04 10:16 CST Zverev's tenure as No. 1 in men's tennis begins with 'bad' loss
to Musetti at Paris Masters
Zverev's tenure as No. 1 in men's tennis begins with 'bad' loss to Musetti at
Paris Masters
By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) --- 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, a performance he felt was poor.
"Yeah, I was bad. It's quite simple," Zverev said. "This was not a very good
match for me, I think maybe one of the worst in the last couple of months."
The imposing German said he should have done much better on such a rapid court
suited to his aggressive stroke play.
"The court was very, very fast," he said. "I actually think that this is the
court that it should be."
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 those successes, the 29-year-old Zverev sounded agitated and described
feeling "a bit annoyed" about what he perceives as not getting enough credit
compared to others.
"The No. 1 status is something that I think every player dreams of," he said.
"But then I feel like I'm the only world No. 1 in tennis history that has to
explain why it's okay for me to be world No. 1, which I find quite difficult
because I think I deserve to be where I am."
Zverev looked out of sorts throughout 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.
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.
Fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev lost 6-4, 6-4 to Ignacio Buse.
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