Paris Masters: Alcaraz Gets A Walkover Into A Quarter-Final With Fritz; Borges Makes History

Carlos Alcaraz reached the Paris Masters quarter-finals on Thursday without playing a point. Matteo Berrettini, the world No. 43, withdrew before their evening third-round match with arm pain he said, via his Instagram account, he had felt for several days — handing the tournament's highest remaining seed a walkover and a free day before the last eight.

Alcaraz had opened his Paris campaign on Wednesday by beating Alex Michelsen 7–6(4), 6–3. He now faces Taylor Fritz on Friday: Fritz beat Arthur Fils 6–3, 6–4 in the night session that was moved up to 7:00 PM to fill the slot the walkover emptied, ending the home crowd's hopes of a French semi-finalist run through its favourite.

Casper Ruud also advanced in straight sets, beating Jan-Lennard Struff 6–3, 6–3 in a match moved from Court 1 to Centre Court as the schedule reshuffled around the withdrawal.

The Lucky Loser Who Would Not Leave

The day's history belonged to Nuno Borges. The Portuguese, who lost in qualifying and entered the main draw as a lucky loser, beat Ignacio Buse 6–0, 6–2 to become the first lucky loser in the history of the Paris Masters to reach the quarter-finals. A player who was beaten before the tournament properly began is now one win from the last four of a Masters 1000.

The day session had already filled the rest of the quarter-final picture: Ben Shelton came from a set down to beat Arthur Rinderknech 3–6, 6–4, 7–6(5); Luca Van Assche upset Lorenzo Musetti 7–5, 3–6, 6–4 — one day after Musetti beat the new world No. 1, Alexander Zverev; Rinky Hijikata beat Tomás Etcheverry 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 in a second straight three-set comeback; and Tommy Paul beat Quentin Halys 7–6(3), 6–4.

What Is Left Of The Draw

The tournament that began the week as a race for the year-end No. 1 ranking has shed Zverev and Novak Djokovic — both beaten on Wednesday — and now belongs, on seeding, to Alcaraz. His quarter-final against Fritz on Friday is the headline match of the last eight; the winner's half also holds Ruud, and the other half opens with the Shelton–Paul all-American tie and Borges, the qualifier who was not supposed to be here, still standing in it.

The ATP Finals begin in Turin on November 15. On the evidence of this week in Paris, form going into them is the one thing none of the favourites can agree on.

The walkover also rearranges the arithmetic of the week. Berrettini's withdrawal is the second major departure from Alcaraz's half in two days — Zverev, who became world No. 1 on Monday, lost to Musetti on Wednesday after blowing a 5–2 tiebreak lead, and Musetti himself then fell to Van Assche on Thursday. The half of the draw that was supposed to test the Spaniard has instead been testing everyone else. For Berrettini, the arm pain adds to a career repeatedly interrupted by injury; his announcement, made on his own channel rather than through the tournament, said he had carried the problem for several days before deciding he could not play.

Fritz, meanwhile, gets no rest benefit from the reshuffle: his match was moved earlier, not removed, and he plays Alcaraz on Friday having contested a full third round while the Spaniard watched from the locker room. In a Masters week compressed by withdrawals, that is as close to a structural advantage as the draw can hand a top seed.

Sources: Tennis Majors (walkover, session results, Borges record); Tennis Temple and ATP (Alcaraz R2, scheduling); The Sports Encounter (Berrettini withdrawal).