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Paris Masters: Fils knocked out by Fritz, Van Assche the last Frenchman standing before the quarter-finals

Arthur Fils lost 6-3, 6-4 to Taylor Fritz, who will face Carlos Alcaraz. Luca Van Assche, ranked 47th in the world, is the only Frenchman left in Friday's quarter-finals, against Djokovic's conqueror, Rinky Hijikata.

By The newsroomPublished 5 November at 13:10 · Updated 6 November at 11:24
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Arthur Fils hitting a forehand at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, archive photo
Photo : Kuberzog / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Arthur Fils will go no further in Paris. The French number one lost 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hr 11 min on Thursday evening to Taylor Fritz, who according to Eurosport did not concede a single break point. The American, still in the running for one of the last places in Turin, will face Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. Fils remains qualified for the ATP Finals.

One Frenchman is still in contention. Luca Van Assche, ranked 47th, beat Lorenzo Musetti, ranked 24th, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hr 38 min on Thursday on the centre court. He reaches his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. Two weeks earlier, the Italian had beaten him in the quarter-finals in Lyon.

On Friday he will face Rinky Hijikata, the Australian qualifier ranked 83rd, who beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday. For both players, it will be a first quarter-final at this level.

Rinderknech beaten in a tiebreak

Arthur Rinderknech long believed he could pull off an upset. He won the first set against Ben Shelton, the No 3 seed, before losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in 2 hr 03 min, according to the tournament website.

Djokovic, the huge shock

Wednesday evening completed the carnage. Novak Djokovic was knocked out in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters by Australian Rinky Hijikata, a qualifier ranked 83rd, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, in 2 hr 14 min. According to SportMag, the defeat ends the Serb's hopes of playing in the ATP Finals in Turin.

He joins a long list of seeds already out: Alexander Zverev against Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev against Ignacio Buse, Alex de Minaur against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Frances Tiafoe against Quentin Halys.

Fils, first Frenchman in Turin since 2016

Qualified for the ATP Finals as soon as Halys beat Tiafoe, Arthur Fils then lived up to his ranking: 6-3, 7-6 (4) against Tomas Machac. According to SportMag, he is the first Frenchman to qualify for the tournament since Gaël Monfils in 2016. The ATP Finals take place in Turin from 15 to 22 November.

Alcaraz into the quarter-finals without playing

Matteo Berrettini, who beat Ugo Humbert 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Wednesday, withdrew from his last-16 match.

Matteo Berrettini, quoted by Tennis Majors, said the arm pain he had been carrying for a few days would not allow him to take to the court that evening.

The Italian is due to undergo tests. Carlos Alcaraz, the No 2 seed, therefore goes through without playing.

The end of the dream for Halys

Wednesday's hero, Quentin Halys, bowed out on Thursday morning: Tommy Paul beat him 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 1 hr 35 min. The Frenchman, who had just saved four match points against Tiafoe, misses out on his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.

What next?

The quarter-finals are played on Friday on the centre court, according to Univers Tennis:

  • 2pm: Ben Shelton (3) v Tommy Paul (12).
  • Followed by: Luca Van Assche v Rinky Hijikata (Q).
  • Not before 7pm: Taylor Fritz (11) v Carlos Alcaraz (2).
  • Not before 8.30pm: Casper Ruud v Nuno Borges, a lucky loser from qualifying.

The final takes place on Sunday 8 November.

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#Tennis#Rolex Paris Masters#Luca Van Assche#Arthur Rinderknech#Arthur Fils#Novak Djokovic#Carlos Alcaraz

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