Paris Masters: Carlos Alcaraz beats Grigor Dimitrov to reach quarter-finals
World number one Carlos Alcaraz reaches the quarter-finals at the Paris Masters with a straight-set win over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz reaches the quarter-finals at the Paris Masters with a straight-set win over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.
A lightning-fast start set the tone for Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the World No. 1 won nine of the first 10 games en route to a 6-1, 6-3 third-round victory against Grigor Dimitrov.
Alcaraz was dialled-in from the start in his maiden ATP Head2Head meeting with the former World No. 3 Dimitrov. Striking the ball cleanly off both wings from the baseline and deploying his drop shot to good effect throughout, the Spaniard converted five of seven break points against the Bulgarian’s serve to wrap an impressive 72-minute win.
“I started playing pretty well,” said Alcaraz after the match. “[Grigor’s] level is very much not the level you saw today, but I played very well. At the end of the second set, it was tougher for me, he came back, he raised the level and obviously it was tough. He had the chance to go up in the second set, I had to stay calm in that moment and show my best to not allow him to go up.”
In a near-flawless opening, Alcaraz’s all-around game left the former World No. 3 Dimitrov with few chances to counter. The Spaniard dropped just two points behind serve in the first set as he picked up where he had left off in his straight-sets second-round win against Yoshihito Nishioka.
Dimitrov found his feet to reel off three straight games from 0-3 to draw level in the second set before carving out two break point opportunities for a 4-3 lead, but Alcaraz’s relentless consistency proved crucial. He held off the Bulgarian’s charge to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in Paris, where he will take on seventh seed Andrey Rublev or Holger Rune.
“In that moment you have to stay calm, to think [about] what is happening and after that try to change a little bit,” said Alcaraz, when asked about Dimitrov’s second-set comeback. “I [made] a couple of mistakes at the beginning of the match, but after that I stayed calm.”
Should Alcaraz lift his third Masters 1000 title of the year in Paris, the 19-year-old would be confirmed as the year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings ahead of his debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. He admitted he was enjoying playing in front of his parents in the French capital, where he received the ATP No. 1 trophy presented by Pepperstone during a ceremony on Monday evening.
“It’s such a pleasure,” said Alcaraz. “It’s tough to bring them to tournaments, and to have them in the box during the week is so special. Of course, taking the trophy for No. 1 in front of them was so special for me.”
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When it comes to mastering the unique scoring format at next week’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, Dominic Stricker may be able to turn to his love of golf for help.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Stricker recently told ATPTour.com after being asked about the fast-paced first-to-four-games set structure used at the 21-and-under event. “Because you really have to forget what happened maybe five minutes ago. If you don’t forget it, you’ve already lost the next set.
“It’s maybe a bit like golf. If you play one hole really bad, you just have to accept it and go to the next hole because if you don’t, a lot could go wrong.”
As well as the time he has spent on the golf course, the 20-year-old lefty Stricker will hope that the experience of training with ATP Tour legend and countryman Roger Federer can benefit him in tough moments during his upcoming Milan campaign.
“It is lucky,” said Stricker’s coach, Sven Swinnen, who spent two years as Federer’s classmate and daily practice partner at the Swiss national federation when the pair were in their teens. “Roger invited Dominic to Dubai twice already to do some practice, some pre-season stuff, so that was really helpful. Roger knows us now pretty well and we got some really good tips from him.”
“Of course, if you live in Switzerland…My one big idol [had to be] Roger Federer,” added Stricker. “Roger is Swiss and has a pretty similar game to how I would like to play.”
Stricker in action at Wimbledon qualifying in June. Photo Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images.
Much of Federer’s career was defined by his battles with rivals such as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and Stricker is excited at trying to establish himself among a new flock of young stars on the ATP Tour. He cites former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as inspirations but believes it might not be long before he and this year’s other Milan competitors are also ready to challenge the best in the world.
“[Alcaraz and Sinner] are so young,” said Stricker. “They are playing so good at the moment, it’s good to see that already guys my age, they can make the breakthrough. Holger [Rune] as well… It’s great to see, and then you know that you can maybe also get there in a few years or whenever.
“These guys are doing a great job and I don’t see that there’s a big gap between us, but I just have to keep doing my thing and it will come, I hope.”
The signs are certainly promising for Stricker. After launching his ATP Tour career in 2021 with a stunning straight-sets victory over former World No. 3 Marin Cilic at the beginning of back-to-back quarter-final runs in Geneva and Stuttgart, he has continued his progress this season. Two ATP Challenger Tour titles and a 4-5 record at ATP Tour events have helped him rise to a career-high No. 116 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
The Swiss is also becoming more accustomed to taking on the ATP Tour elite. He notched four Top 40 wins this season, against Aslan Karatsev, Maxime Cressy (twice) and Botic van de Zandschulp, while he also competed well against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Pablo Carreno Busta. His meeting with Tsitsipas on the grass in Stuttgart stands out for Stricker.
“[It was] a great experience,” said the Swiss. “A tough match, but he plays pretty well on grass and he played pretty well. It’s just great to play these guys to see where you stand.
“It was a pretty good match from my side, he played pretty good as well. It was [6-3, 6-4] but it was pretty close, and I had my chances as well. It was 2-2, I had break points, so it’s good to see that it’s not such a big gap.”
Dominic Stricker and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stuttgart. Photo Credit: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images.
Stricker’s strong 2022 season has earned him a debut appearance at next week’s Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The Swiss is looking forward to competing at the Allianz Cloud in Milan in an event that he has previously only had the chance to admire from afar.
“I watched the highlights of the previous edition, when Carlos won,” said Stricker. “That was pretty impressive… I watched the [2018 edition] when Stefanos [won] too.
“It’s a special tournament, for sure, if you reach it. It’s something great, it means a lot and I think [it means] you’ve had a pretty good year, if you’re in the Top 8 of these young guys. It’s something special for sure.
“The format is something else, you have to be focused from the first point. You also have to be when it’s a longer set but I think if you play these short sets, it’s more important. I think [the format] is good, to have a new challenge.”
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the sixth team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The Spanish-Argentine tandem will make its third consecutive appearance at the season finale.
Granollers and Zeballos advanced to the semi-finals of the year-end championships in 2020 and 2021, falling to the eventual champions on each occasion.
It has been a consistent season for the Spaniard and Argentine, who lifted their seventh ATP Tour trophy as a team in Halle. It is the fourth consecutive year in which they have earned at least one crown at an ATP 500 event or above.
Granollers and Zeballos thrived at the Grand Slam championships this season, reaching the final at Wimbledon and the semi-finals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
It is Granollers’ seventh appearance at the year-end championships. In 2012, he won the Nitto ATP Finals with Marc Lopez.
Billie Jean King says Glasgow hosting the event named after her is a chance to thank Judy, Andy and Jamie Murray for their contribution to tennis.
#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti earned his first Top 5 win Thursday when he upset World No. 4 Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters.
The 20-year-old played with confidence throughout the two-hour, 19-minute clash in the French capital, striking 37 winners as he pulled the Norwegian from corner to corner to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
“I am really happy,” Musetti said. “I think we played a great match until the end. A lot of remarkable shots from his side. He was playing really well and I had to play my best tennis to beat him. I am really happy that all the hard work I am doing keeps improving me. I am really proud of this win.”
Musetti, who entered the match holding a 0-6 record against Top 5 players, will next play sixth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic or Karen Khachanov. He is making his second appearance in the French capital, having advanced to the second round last year.
The Italian is currently at a career-high No. 23 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after soaring to his second tour-level title in Naples last month. Musetti will finish his season next week at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where he will be the top seed at the 21-and-under event.
Ruud, who has won three tour-level titles this season, will turn his attention to Turin, where he will make his second consecutive appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.
The ATP and Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) on Thursday announced the new innovations and rules for the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, the 21-and-under season finale to be played from 8-12 November in Milan.
The event, created to spotlight tennis’ rising talents, continues to evolve. Several of this year’s innovations and rule changes are designed to enhance the flow of the game, including a quicker shot clock and one sit-down per set, while other innovations include off-court coaching and in-game analytics for players and coaches.
Look for the following at the Allianz Cloud in Milan in 2022:
Quicker Shot Clock
One Sit-Down Per Set
Three-Minute Warm-up
Off-Court Coaching
Enhanced Analytics:
Several innovations that have been introduced at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals have gone on to be used on the main Tour, including:
Ross Hutchins, Tournament Director of the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, said: “Since its first edition, this event has provided an incredible opportunity to promote the next generation of global icons, while also innovating for the future. We are proud that several innovations first tested in Milan have been implemented on the wider ATP Tour and look forward to continuing the raise the bar for the fans, the players and the sport.”
The ATP Next Gen E-Series will also return in Milan. Learn more about the event and its live finals, which will be played on 12 November and broadcast on Twitch.
To learn more about the 2022 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals and to buy tickets, click here.
Tunisian second seed Ons Jabeur beats Jessica Pegula to earn her first victory at the WTA Finals as Maria Sakkari books her place in the last four.
Novak Djokovic has been the Prince Of Paris in recent years, winning 15 of his past 16 matches and taking the title in his past two appearances in 2019 and 2021. But on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters the Serb runs into the only player he’s fallen to during that streak: Karen Khachanov.
The 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion holds a 7-1 Head2Head advantage over his rival, but a straight-sets defeat in the 2018 final in Bercy, where Khachanov claimed his lone Masters 1000 trophy, surely still gives Djokovic some indigestion.
The record holder of 373 weeks as No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is aiming for his fourth victory over Khachanov this season (Dubai, Belgrade, Astana). He is also chasing his fifth title of the year after triumphs at Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv and Astana, the latter two coming in consecutive weeks. The indoor hard-court event in France presents a new challenge, even for the six-time champion.
“The conditions are different,” Djokovic said following his opening match against Maxime Cressy. “From last year, it’s quicker. The balls are fast and they go through the court. It makes it more challenging to break serve.”
Khachanov, World No. 19 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will rely on his heavy first delivery and firepower from the baseline to try his hand at another upset in the French capital in the fourth match on Court Central.
Earlier on Thursday, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will look to back up his strong start in Paris as he faces 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov for the first time.
“First round in every tournament is never easy,” Alcaraz said following his opening match. “You have to be really focused, you have to try to get good rhythm, good feeling in the first round. I’m really happy with the performance, the level that I played, and I’m looking forward to getting better in the next round.”
The 19-year-old Spaniard is aiming for his third ATP Masters 1000 crown (Miami & Madrid 2022), which would add to his season-leading five Tour-level titles. He is also looking to tighten his grip on the converted year-end No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking, which will be presented at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Holger Rune, 19, has reached at least the final in each of his past three tournaments, including in Stockholm, where he collected the title. After the Dane spoiled Hubert Hurkacz’s hopes of returning to the Nitto ATP Finals, the 19-year-old looks to earn back-to-back wins against Top-10 players when he meets Andrey Rublev, whose qualification for Turin was confirmed Wednesday.
Casper Ruud, who still has an outside shot to finish the year No. 1, kicks off Thursday’s card with a first-time meeting against talented Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who next week will spearhead the eight-man field at the 21-and-under Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Norway’s World No. 4, a two-time Grand Slam finalist this year, is looking to regain form ahead of his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year he made the semi-finals. Although just two wins shy of his 50th match win on the year, the 23-year-old came into Paris on a three-match losing streak.
.@CasperRuud98 is known for his forehand, and tonight vs Gasquet it was in full flow
FH Shot Quality context 👇
Tour avg. 7.2
Ruud 52-week avg. 8.5 (one of the best on tour)
Ruud vs Gasquet 9.3 🔥#TennisInsights | @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/GRxJQtMVxO— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) November 1, 2022
French World No. 64 Corentin Moutet will return to Court Central less than 16 hours after his early-morning win over Cameron Norrie to battle fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the quarter-finals. Moutet, 23, closed out a third-set tie-break win over Norrie at 3.04 a.m. Thursday morning.
Tsitsipas, who boasts a 58-21 record on the season, is chasing his second Masters 1000 title of the year (Monte Carlo). He also has an outside shot of pushing for year-end No. 1 honours if Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t have a deep run in Paris and at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal struck a positive tone following his early exit at the Rolex Paris Masters, looking forward to his 11th appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, which begins 13 November. The Spaniard has always kept perspective after defeats, and that held true on Wednesday after a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 loss to Tommy Paul in what was Nadal’s first match as a father.
“I’m excited about playing [in Turin], even if it hasn’t been the perfect couple of months for me, of course,” said Nadal, who will be seeking his first title at the ATP Tour’s season finale. “But, yeah, nothing to lose. After a good year, going there, just trying my best.”
While Nadal has spent time on the practice court since the US Open and competed in doubles alongside Roger Federer at the Laver Cup, he has lacked the usual routine of life on the ATP Tour.
“At the end, I need days on the Tour,” he said in a press conference. “It’s true that for the last five months I didn’t spend enough days on the Tour. I don’t even say competing on a tennis court; I say on the Tour, practising with the guys. That’s what I need. I am going to try — [if] nothing happens, if I am feeling OK — to be there [in Turn] a little bit earlier than usual and have some practices.
“Just give myself a chance to enjoy another [Nitto ATP] Finals. You never know when is going to be the last, especially at my age. So I’m going to give my best to enjoy this one, and then [the] next years of course I’m going to fight to be back there.”
After a red-hot start to the 2022 season in which he won four titles, including at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Nadal has played just six matches since Wimbledon and now holds a 38-6 record on the year.
While he said it was “difficult to imagine” himself winning his first year-end trophy this season in his current shape, Nadal took some positives out of his matchup with Paul in Paris.
“A lot of things going on the last couple of months, without a doubt,” he reflected. “But we are always ready to find excuses, but at the end, it’s always the same. You play well, you win; you don’t, you lose. And today for moments, putting everything in a pack, I was playing quite well.”
While he was full of praise for the American, he also rued letting slip his lead in the second set.
“I had my match in that second set with [a] set and break,” he said. “I played a terrible game there. Yeah, I didn’t deserve the victory playing that bad in that key moment, no. Until that moment it was OK, a good match for me, knowing that is my first match since a while.”
