Carlos Alcaraz Kicks Off Paris Masters with Win Over Nicolas Jarry

Carlos Alcaraz the world number two began his Paris Masters campaign with a solid 7-5, 6-1 win over Chile’s Nicolas Jarry on Tuesday. Alcaraz, who exited in the same round last year dominated Jarry delivering 13 winners and keeping unforced errors to just six. Reflecting on his progress, Alcaraz said, “It’s hard to compare your game year to year, but I’m in a better place mentally this season.”

Determined to perform well in Paris, he added, “I’m motivated to win this tournament.” With world number one Jannik Sinner out due to illness and defending champion Novak Djokovic also absent, Alcaraz sees a clearer path. While Sinner’s withdrawal rules out a potential finals match-up, Alcaraz expressed admiration, saying, “As a tennis fan, I love to see him play.”

Now, Carlos Alcaraz has a strong chance to close the 4,300-point gap in the rankings as he pursues his fifth title of the year. In other Tuesday matches, Briton Jack Draper defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-2, and 13th-seed Holger Rune of Denmark beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-4. Ninth-seed Alex de Minaur of Australia advanced with a solid 7-5, 6-1 win over Mariano Navone.

Meanwhile, American Alex Michelsen stunned 12th-seed Hubert Hurkacz, winning decisively 6-1, 6-3. Higher-ranked players faced some upsets. Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo narrowly defeated Russian sixth-seed Andrey Rublev in two tiebreaks, 7-6(6), 7-6(5). In another surprise, French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard overcame 14th-seed Frances Tiafoe 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3.

In later matches, Greek 10th-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas recorded a solid 6-3, 6-4 win over Alejandro Tabilo and Australian Jordan Thompson defeated seventh-seed Casper Ruud in a tight contest, winning 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4.