Carlos Alcaraz overcame some rusty moments on his serve to beat Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-1 and reach the third round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Spaniard was troubled by the Chilean's strong forehand at times. Jarry broke Alcaraz's serve in the ninth game and held for 5-5, but double-faulted in his next service game to lose the first set.
"It was a little bit complicated, (I was) really happy to get through the first set," Alcaraz said. "I have to get used to the speed of the court. It's really fast for me."
▲ Russia's Andrey Rublev reacts during his round-of-32 loss to Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo at the Paris Masters in Paris, on Tuesday. REUTERS
Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game of the second set with an ace, and broke for a 4-1 lead with a crisp forehand winner.
Serving for the match, Alcaraz saved another break point with an ace to make it deuce, and won the next two points, clinching victory when the erratic Jarry's two-handed backhand clipped the net and went out.
"He's a really dangerous player on these courts," the 21-year-old Alcaraz said. "I'm super happy to win here."
The four-time Grand Slam champion is looking for his fifth title of the year and next plays either 15th-seeded Ugo Humbert or American qualifier Marcos Giron.
"It's been a great year so far," said Alcaraz, who won major titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Tenth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-3,6-4 to stay in contention for a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals for the top eight players. It is being held in Turin, Italy, next month.
Seventh-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, started well before eventually losing 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 to unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson.
In an earlier second-round match, sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev lost two tiebreakers — and his temper — as his hopes of qualifying for Turin took a hit.
Rublev lost 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) to Francisco Cerundolo and was so frustrated at one point in the second set that he smashed his racket against his left knee at least seven times in succession, drawing blood.
The Russian player held the eighth and final qualifying place in the race for the ATP Finals, but could still be overtaken.
US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz became the fifth player to qualify for the Finals. The big-serving American reached the season-ending tournament for the second time in three years. The indoor event takes place from Nov 10-17.
Fritz joined US Open champion Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, who have already booked their tickets.
Sinner pulled out of the Paris Masters on Monday, citing a virus. The Italian player is guaranteed to finish the year as No 1. He was the second high-profile player to pull out, following seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
In the final first-round matches, Holger Rune — who beat Djokovic in the 2022 final — advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Matteo Arnaldi, while No 9 seed Alex de Minaur beat Mariano Navone 7-5, 6-1 to stay in outside contention for Turin and No 12 Hubert Hurkacz lost 6-1, 6-3 to Alex Michelsen.
US Open semifinalist Jack Draper won 7-5, 6-2 against Jiri Lehecka; American Ben Shelton beat Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-3, and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard hit 28 aces to defeat US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5),7-6 (4), 6-3.
Fresh from his title in Basel, Mpetshi Perricard next plays Karen Khachanov and will look to add to his 512 aces.
Frenchman Arthur Fils also progressed by edging Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-4 and next faces Jan-Lennard Struff.
Veteran Richard Gasquet, who plans to retire after next year's French Open, lost 6-3, 6-4 to Zizou Bergs.
