Russian Roman Safiullin caused an upset at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 tennis tournament on October 31, defeating Spanish number two in the world, Carlos Alcaraz. Safiullin, who came through the qualifying rounds, defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 6-4 in the second round. Alcaraz, who had received a bye in the first round, was returning to competition after withdrawing from the Basel tournament the previous week due to a foot and back injury.
Despite his early exit in Paris, Alcaraz still has the opportunity to finish the season on a high note at the Masters tournament in Turin, Italy, where the top eight players in the world will compete in mid-November. Since winning Wimbledon in July against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz has not won any titles. However, he remains determined to perform well and manage his physical issues.
Speaking about his foot injury, Alcaraz acknowledged that he still had some discomfort but insisted that it was less severe than before. He recognized that the long and demanding season may have contributed to these issues and emphasized the importance of playing his best while managing the problems.
With his loss in Paris, Alcaraz’s chances of overtaking Djokovic for the number one ranking at the end of the season have diminished. Djokovic, with 500 points more than Alcaraz in the year-end rankings, will play his first match against Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Wednesday.
Despite holding a lead in both sets against Safiullin, Alcaraz allowed the Russian to come back each time. Safiullin, a 26-year-old quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in July, demonstrated resilience and ultimately emerged victorious against Alcaraz.
After his semi-final exit at the US Open in September, where he had previously become a Grand Slam champion a year earlier, Alcaraz’s performance in the Asian tour was underwhelming. He only reached the semi-finals in Beijing (losing to Sinner) and the round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters 1000 (defeated by Dimitrov).
Looking forward, Safiullin will face another Russian, Karen Khachanov, in the round of 16. Despite this defeat, Alcaraz has already proven himself as a rising star in the tennis world and will undoubtedly be a player to watch in the future.
