In the ongoing Rolex Paris Masters, fans are worried about seeing first-round exits of the ‘Old’ gen players that too after taking the match to the match point.
The first-round matches are completed in the Paris Masters and is gearing up for the next round. It was very disappointing for some of the most experienced players in the circuit as they lost in the very first round. It was not the loss but how their loss hurt their fans.
Olly Tennis took to X, sharing a photo that had something interesting to say. Four matches from the first round in which the ‘Old’ gen players were playing against some young guns lost the match from match point.
Andy Murray, the three-time Major winner and 2-time Olympic gold medallist lost to Alex De Minaur in the first round. De Minaur was 2-5 down in the third set, saved the match point, and managed to win the set 7-5 and also the match.
Tommy Paul was up against Richard Gasquet, and it was Gasquet who stunned Paul in the opening set 6-0. Tommy Paul’s strategy in the second set was to play longer rallies and did work out to get his momentum back. He won the second set 6-2. But it was another fight in the third set when the match was pushed to the tiebreaker and when he was standing at 3-6, he was thinking about his flight back to America. But it ended up in his favor and won the tiebreaker 8-6 and eventually the match.
Gael Monfils was playing in his home Masters Tournament and lost to Francisco Cerundolo in the first round. Gael Monfils who gained some momentum with his win at Stockholm Open a few days ago was looking confident to do better at home. The Frenchman won the first set and was also standing at match point in the second set. But his poor play at the match point cost him and eventually lost the match.
It was a similar case with a Swiss player who is a three-time Major Champion and lost to Dominic Thiem. Wawrinka won the first set 6-3, but Thiem who has also a Major Title to his name won the second set 6-3. Coming to the third set, Wawrinka had almost made his way to the second round, but Thiem had some other plans for him.
It was nothing but a coincidence that the ‘Old’ Gen players had such a disappointing exit despite playing so well. But the statistics are really frightening at a glance.
Carlos Alcaraz makes an early exit from Paris Masters
Carlos Alcaraz lost in the opening match against Roman Safiullin at the 2023 Paris Masters.
Coming into this tournament, Carlos Alcaraz was looking to fight for his chances to end the year as the No. 1. But his efforts fell short to Roman Safiullin who pulled a stunning victory. Safiullin won the match 6-3, 6-4.
The 26-year-old Russian tennis player, Safiullin played through the qualifiers to play Alcaraz in the second round. It was a happy moment for Safiullin. The No. 39 player reached the quarterfinal of a Major for the first time at Wimbledon and also played his first final of an ATP tournament in the Chengdu Open earlier this year.
Alcaraz did not have a first-round loss in a Masters event since Montreal last year.
