Paris Masters Round-Up: Auger-Aliassime escapes the brink as Vacherot repeats Shanghai magic

Day Three of the Paris Masters is underway, with the development of the second round at La Défense Arena. On the main court, a re-edition of the Shanghai Masters Final was played between cousins Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Vacherot, and once again, the Monegasque emerged with the victory in three sets.

On the other hand, defending champion Alexander Zverev successfully begins his campaign in Paris, defeating Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli in a tight battle, similar to the case of Félix Auger-Aliassime, who was on the brink of defeat but managed to pull off a victory that keeps him in the race for a spot in the ATP Finals.

Just a few weeks ago, Rinderknech (No. 29) and Vacherot (No. 40) contested one of the most unexpected Masters 1000 finals, with the added bonus of being the first final between cousins – providing one of the stories of 2025. In the rematch, Vacherot again took the victory, this time 6-7(9), 6-3, 6-4. Both players entered with a wildcard – as their ranking at the time the Entry List was published had them far from the qualification zone.

In a tight first set, Rinderknech recovered from a break down and saved two set points before taking the set in a tie-break that lasted for 20 points [11-9 in favor of Rinderknech]. However, in the second set, Vacherot was the first to gain an advantage and didn't allow the Frenchman any chances, taking the set with the second break 6-3.

In the decisive set, things remained tight until the final part of the set, when Vacherot capitalized on the tension in the 10th game and secured a break that gave him the win after two hours and 57 minutes. The Monegasque will face Cameron Norrie – the recent conqueror of Carlos Alcaraz – in the third round

Alexander Zverev (No. 3) arrived with the mission to defend the title he won in 2024, and secured a hard-fought victory against the Argentine Camilo Ugo Carabelli (No. 49) 6-7(5), 6-1, 7-5, which puts him in the third round. The World No. 3 remained true to his style, imposing himself from the serve with a 75% first serve percentage, and winning 74% of those points (plus 78% with the second serve). The German took advantage of his opportunities, securing 4 breaks on six chances, while Carabelli took the only break chance he had in the match.

The South American squandered a 3-1 lead with a serve advantage in the third set, and Zverev managed a comeback at a complicated moment. The German will face the winner between Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Arthur Cazaux (wildcard) in the third round.

The tightest match of the day featured World No. 10 Félix Auger-Aliassime against local player Alexandre Muller (No. 44), with the Canadian winning 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(4). The 25-year-old player recorded a total of 21 aces and won 83% of points with his first serve – although Muller was not far behind, reaching 79% of points won with the first serve.

The Frenchman took the first set thanks to a late break in the 12th game. Auger-Aliassime needed the victory to remain in the running for a spot in the ATP Finals and managed to complete a hard-earned comeback. In the second set, he squandered a break advantage and had to decide everything in the tie-break – in a battle of mini-breaks – which went to the Canadian 7-6(7-5).

The deciding set was a battle of nerves, where Auger-Aliassime won a total of 70% of points with his serve against Muller's 74%. The Canadian squandered a match point when leading 6-5, but Auger-Aliassime finally won the third-set tie-break 7-6(4). The Canadian will face Daniel Altmaier in the third round, with the need to keep advancing – as he must reach at least the semi-finals if he wants to keep dreaming of a spot in Turin.