Paris Masters Day 2 recap: Carlos Alcaraz's early loss boosts Novak Djokovic's odds of claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking
The second day of the 2023 Paris Masters witnessed one of the biggest surprises of the season, with Carlos Alcaraz's shocking exit.
Alcaraz was returning from an injury break and suffered a straight-sets loss to Roman Safiullin in the second round. The loss is certainly helpful for Novak Djokovic, who's now in a great position to end the year as the top-ranked player.
It was a tough day for the home crowd, with most of the French players bowing out of the tournament. But Gael Monfils' entertaining brand of tennis had the crowd up on their feet.
Here's a quick rundown of what transpired on Day 2 of the Paris Masters:
Novak Djokovic virtually seals the year-end No. 1 ranking after Carlos Alcaraz's exit
Carlos Alcaraz's return from an injury break didn't go as planned as he was shown the door by Roman Safiullin in the second round. The Spaniard skipped the Swiss Indoors in Basel and was the recipient of a first-round bye at the Paris Masters.
Alcaraz looked a little off right from the start and Safiullin didn't miss a beat to take advantage of that. The Russian scored a 6-3, 6-4 win to notch up just his second win over a top-10 player.
Djokovic and Alcaraz were locked in a battle for the year-end No. 1 ranking before the tournament. The former currently has a lead of 500 points over his younger rival. Should the Serb clinch the title here, he'd extend the lead to 1500 points.
A single win at the ATP Finals would then see Djokovic finish the year as the World No. 1 for the eighth time in his career. For Alcaraz to end the season on top, he'd be hoping that the Serb loses early in Paris as well and fight for it at the ATP Finals.
Gael Monfils whips the crowd into a frenzy with his shotmaking
Monfils' is the sport's leading showman, with his skills and shotmaking eliciting plenty of gasps and leaving the crowd in awe. It was the same during his first-round match at the Paris Masters.
Up against Francisco Cerundolo in his opener, Monfils was engaged in a battle of wills. The Frenchman's efforts had the home crowd going crazy, who burst into a rendition of "La Marseillaise" to cheer him on. Unfortunately, he came up short in the end as he lost the match in three sets.
Karen Khachanov keeps his ATP Finals hopes alive with a win
Khachanov's 6-4, 7-5 victory over Laslo Djere in the first round has him in contention for an ATP Finals spot. While he's a fair bit behind the remaining contenders in terms of points, a title could help him make the cut.
Khachanov has already triumphed at the Paris Masters in the past. He won the title here back in 2018, that too over Djokovic in the final. He'll next take on Safiullin for a spot in the third round.
Paris Masters 2023: Day 2 key results at a glance
Men's singles
Roman Safiullin def. (2) Carlos Alcaraz: 6-3, 6-4
(5) Andrey Rublev def. Yoshihito Nishioka: 6-4, 6-3
Daniel Altmaier def. (9) Taylor Fritz: walkover
(10) Alexander Zverev def. Marton Fucsovics: 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
(11) Hubert Hurkacz def. Sebastian Korda: 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3
(16) Karen Khachanov def. Laslo Djere: 6-4, 7-5
Felix Auger-Aliassime def. Jan-Lennard Struff: 7-6 (3), 6-4
Francisco Cerundolo def. Gael Monfils: 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5