Alcaraz Stunned in Paris Masters First Round, Ending 17-Match Masters 1000 Win Streak
World number one Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprising first-round defeat at the Rolex paris Masters, falling to british left-hander Jack Draper in straight sets. The loss marks a premature exit for the two-time Roland-Garros champion, who has historically struggled at the Paris tournament, never advancing past the quarter-finals-a feat he achieved in 2022.
The upset halts Alcaraz’s impressive run of 17 consecutive victories in Masters 1000 events, stemming from titles in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati in 2025. It’s only the third time in the 40-year history of the Paris masters that the world’s top-ranked player has been eliminated in the opening round.Alcaraz will now look to regroup ahead of the year-end ATP Finals.
“I trained a lot here. I felt very good.I moved well on the court. I felt the ball. I had very clear ideas,my objectives were also clear,” Alcaraz said,visibly frustrated after the match.”But today, even in the first set, although I won it, I had the feeling that I could do much better than that. I tried to improve in the second set.It was the opposite: I played even worse.”
despite a stellar year overall-with 67 victories against only 8 defeats-Alcaraz couldn’t replicate his success in Paris. “I don’t know why I can’t do it here,” he admitted.”I had energy, I felt like I could play well. I had my best year on the circuit…But I felt grate this year, physically, mentally. I don’t know what happened here, but it’s definitely a tournament where I’m having trouble playing well. But I hope that will change one day.”
Draper’s victory, his second against the world number one in eight career matches, propels him into the next round where he will face either Arthur Rinderknech or Valentin Vacherot. Alcaraz’s loss also ends a streak of nine consecutive finals appearances on the tour.
