World No.1 Zverev stunned, Monfils gives emotional farewell; Rybakina, Sabalenka lead WTA Finals groups
- Last updated: November 5, 2026 | 10:22
Paris: Alexander Zverev made a losing start to his reign as world number one on Wednesday as the two-time Grand Slam champion went down 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 to an inspired Lorenzo Musetti at the Paris Masters.
Playing his opening match in the round of 32 in the French capital, the German accumulated errors to tamely exit the tournament against the 24-year-old Italian.
Former world number five Musetti became the fifth man to defeat a player in his opening match as the world number one.
But Zverev insisted that the pressure of being the top-ranked player was not the cause of his poor performance.
In the opening set, both players staved off break points in consecutive games midway through the frame, but it always looked destined to be decided by a tie-break.
The Hamburg native got ahead 5-2 in the breaker but Musetti rallied to string together a run of five consecutive points to take a one-set lead, sealing it with a huge serve out wide to Zverev’s backhand.
The Italian was now brimming with confidence and after failing to convert a break opportunity in the first game of the second set, he made no mistake two games later as he capitalised on an error-strewn display from Zverev.
Musetti continued to deploy a sliced backhand to devastating effect as unforced errors mounted on the 2024 Paris Masters champion’s side of the net, culminating in a second break which allowed the Italian to serve for the match.
The world number 24 did just that, sealing his progress to the last 16 to love against a dejected Zverev.
Meanwhile, Gael Monfils turned his tennis farewell into a message for his young daughter Skai on Tuesday, telling her he hoped she would one day play in Paris as he thanked fans in the French capital for making his 22-year career a dream come true.
The flamboyant Frenchman, who had planned to end his career this year with a final bow at this week’s Paris Masters, instead retired quietly last month amid the end of his marriage with fellow player Elina Svitolina.
Paris gave Monfils a send-off to remember, with fellow French favourites Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and Benoit Paire joining him on court for a special ceremony.
“I’m not going to hide that, this is a very difficult moment to say goodbye,” Monfils, 40, said in his farewell speech.
“The most beautiful thing that this world has given me is you, the wonderful crowd. It’s not easy at all, but I’d really like to thank you all.
“Twenty-two years now that I’ve been a professional tennis player. Twenty-two years of an extraordinary story that I could have never dreamed of.
“I want to thank everyone, whether they’re here or at home, because it’s because of you that I could realise my dream.”
The most personal moment came when Monfils addressed his daughter, reflecting on the game and the city that had shaped much of his life.
Monfils and Ukraine’s Svitolina married in July 2021 and welcomed their daughter Skai in October the following year.
“Skai, your father was a tennis player,” Monfils added.
“He loved tennis. He grew up in Paris, where he had a magnificent crowd behind him. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you will become a great champion in everything you do and that, one day, you will play here in Paris.”
Top-ranked Elena Rybakina and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka head their respective singles groups for the WTA Finals, with Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula landing in the same group.
The draw on Tuesday divided the eight qualifying singles and doubles teams into round-robin groups for the season-ending championships, which begin Sunday and run through Nov. 15 at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Each player and team will face the other three in their group over the first six days, with the top two advancing to the semifinals.
Besides defending WTA Finals champion Rybakina, fourth-seeded Gauff, fifth-seeded Pegula and No. 8 seed Linda Noskova are in Group 1.
Agencies