Alexander Zverev has won the Paris Masters for the first time in his career. The German defeated Ugo Humbert in the final, the Frenchman who surprisingly reached the final in his home country. The Rolex Paris Masters title was the second victory of the year for Zverev, who also held the trophy on the clay courts of Rome. Against Humbert, he was never in danger in the final of the Paris tennis tournament: 6-2, 6-2.
Late cancellation Sinner
It was a bitter pill to swallow at the beginning of the week for the Paris Open organizers, who suddenly saw the world number one disappear from the lineup with the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner. The Italian was already in Paris but was forced to miss the tournament due to illness. Despite the fact that defending champion Novak Djokovic was also absent, the Paris Masters entry list still boasted plenty of big names. Top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas were in action, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who won the title in Basel the week before the tournament, received a wildcard.
Tallon Griekspoor was the only Dutchman competing in the Paris Masters. The draw paired the North Hollander with Italian Luciano Darderi, and Griekspoor proved to have little to fear from him: 6-3, 6-4. Our compatriot then faced a tougher match, as Zverev was waiting. Griekspoor put up a valiant fight and made it to a tiebreak in the first set, losing 7-2. Shortly after, a single service break proved enough for Zverev to take the second set as well (6-3), eliminating Griekspoor.
Second round full of surprises
While Zverev did manage to reach the second round of the Paris Open, this wasn't the case for all the seeded players in the tournament. Medvedev suffered a surprising defeat against Alexei Popyrin, Casper Ruud lost to Jordan Thompson, and Jack Draper proved too strong for American Taylor Fritz. It didn't stop there, as Andrey Rublev and Ben Shelton also had to withdraw during this stage of the tournament: Francisco Cerundolo and Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, respectively, proved too strong. And if you thought the biggest upsets were behind you, you were disappointed. A round later, the tournament was also over for Alcaraz, who lost to Humbert in three sets.
Many of the big names stumbled early in the tournament, creating opportunities for other players, who naturally smelled blood. Thompson, for example, reached the quarterfinals (against Humbert), and the other quarterfinals were Zverev vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov vs. Karen Khachanov, and Holger Rune vs. Alex de Minaur. Humbert, Zverev, Khachanov, and Rune emerged victorious.
Zverev reaches final victory without any problems
It led to semifinals where Zverev faced Rune, while Khachanov faced Humbert. The latter semifinal, in particular, was a thrilling affair. Khachanov won the first set on a tiebreak, after which Humbert fought back (6-3, 6-4) to secure a spot in the final of the Paris Masters after nearly three hours of tennis. There, he faced Zverev, who defeated former tournament winner Rune in straight sets. The tall German won the first set 6-3 and secured his place in the final by eventually winning the second set as well, this time via a tiebreak.
The consequences of Humbert needing a true thriller to reach the Rolex Paris Masters final were painfully apparent once again in the final. The Frenchman looked somewhat tired and couldn't find his footing against Zverev, who quickly built a two-break lead (4-1). It took him only half an hour to win the first set 6-2. The second set was essentially the same story: Zverev immediately stole two service games from his opponent and quickly regained a 4-0 lead, ultimately serving out the match (6-2). This made him the successor to Djokovic as the biggest winner of the Paris Masters.
