Paris Masters: Carlos Alcaraz pulls through against Nicolas Jarry with a misleading score

With Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner absent, Carlos Alcaraz was positioned as the overwhelming favorite to claim the 2024 Paris Masters title. The Spaniard faced Nicolas Jarry in the second round, a player in declining form but who had beaten him in their last encounter at the Buenos Aires Open semifinals, 7-6(2), 6-3.

Last year, Alcaraz had also been eliminated at this same stage in Paris by Roman Safiullin. But this time, he avoided the trap and won a match more challenging than the final 7-5, 6-1 score suggests.

Carlitos started the match brilliantly with a clean hold of serve. Jarry looked set to respond in kind, but between unforced errors and the pressure from Alcaraz, he crumbled and conceded the first break of the match.

They reached the fifth game without further issues until Alcaraz, the world No. 2, faced his first challenges. He had to save a break point, showing signs of tension. This tension showed again at 5-3, as he served for the set.

In a rare lapse, Alcaraz dropped his serve, allowing Jarry a chance to stay in the set. At 6-5 and 30-0 for Jarry, Alcaraz seized the moment, pushing through to earn a set point. He didn't convert the first, but Jarry’s double fault on the second handed the Spaniard the set, 7-5.

The start of the second set mirrored the latter part of the first. Both players struggled to find their best form until Alcaraz seized the opportunity to break Jarry’s serve, making it 3-1. From that moment, he pressed the accelerator, shifting into high gear, and Jarry couldn’t claim another game.

With a final score of 7-5, 6-1, Carlitos advances to the third round and can now only gain points toward his ranking to close the gap with Jannik Sinner. His next opponent will come from the match between local player Ugo Humbert and American Marcos Giron, who face off tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30.