World number one Alexander Zverev expressed he was "annoyed" at having to justify his ranking after losing his opening match at the Paris Masters on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The 29-year-old German, who reached the top of the ATP rankings this month after winning the French and US Opens, fell 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 to 24th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti.
Zverev told reporters, "Stress, I don't know if stress. I was a bit annoyed, to be honest. I feel like I'm the only world number one in tennis history that has to explain why it's okay for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today."
The match saw Zverev in a dominant position during the first-set tie-break before he accumulated errors to lose five consecutive points. He then lost six of the following eight games. Musetti, a former world number five, stated he told Zverev before the match that today would be the "best and the toughest challenge that this sport can give me," adding that he was "really happy that I took my chances today."
In another major upset on Wednesday, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was eliminated by world number 83 Rinky Hijikata. The 39-year-old Serb lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, ending his hopes of winning an eighth Paris Masters title and qualifying for the ATP Finals. After leading in the first set, Djokovic struggled in the second frame where Hijikata broke his serve in the eighth game to force a decider. The third set ended when Djokovic cracked twice in a row on serve. Djokovic told reporters his plan for the coming weeks is "just rest."
Other notable results from the day included the fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev crashing out in straight sets to Peru's Ignacio Buse. Seventh seed Frances Tiafoe also lost his opening match, falling 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (11/9) to Quentin Halys.
The host country received a boost as the victory by Halys secured a spot for Arthur Fils in the ATP Finals. The 22-year-old French world number seven, who is now assured of his debut at the season-ending tournament in Turin from November 15-22, finished the day with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over Czech qualifier Tomas Machac.
Second seed Carlos Alcaraz avoided the day's trend of top-seed exits by defeating 35th-ranked American Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. Alcaraz noted on-court that he was "really happy to get the win" and later told reporters, "It's been a really difficult day for the top guys, but I just try not to think about it and I try to step out there, play my best and enjoy."
Alcaraz secured the win after seizing the lead in the first-set tie-break by blitzing through six points after Michelsen held a 4-1 lead. He then secured a crucial break in the eighth game of the second set to serve out for the win.
The 2023 Australian Open doubles champion will play Tomas Martin Etcheverry for a berth in the quarter-finals, after the Argentine defeated Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. On Thursday, third seed Ben Shelton will face Arthur Rinderknech, while Alcaraz is scheduled to face Matteo Berrettini in the night session.
