Alcaraz withdraws from Paris Masters early after losing to Nouri in second round

PARIS — World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz lost to unseeded Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday in a match that looked a bit out of whack.

The six-time Grand Slam winner even had a lively discussion with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after losing the second set.

Noori took full advantage, sealing the victory with a powerful serve on the second match point, while Alcaraz hit back long. This was the first time in his career that he defeated a No. 1 player.

Alcaraz committed 54 unforced errors and won just 64 percent of his first-serve points, losing for the third time in eight games against Norrie. This was the first time they met indoors.

The defeat also ended Alcaraz’s 17-match winning streak at the Masters and means second-ranked Jannik Sinner will move to the top of the ATP rankings if he wins the match. Sinner will face Zizou Bergers on Wednesday.

Norrie will next face the winner of Wednesday’s match between cousins ​​Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Lindeknech.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vaccello defeated No. 14 seed Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-3 in the first round. Vaccello, ranked 40th, will face Lindenich more than two weeks after defeating him in the Shanghai Masters final. Vaccello overcame all difficulties in the Chinese qualifiers and won the first game of his career, and his ranking has soared.

Preparations will be different this time.

“We will stay in our own bubble. Yes, we are cousins, but we are not in the same team, so we will not have dinner together tonight,” Vaccello, who is from Monaco, said.

“In Shanghai, we had breakfast together and warmed up together because we were away from everyone and everywhere,” Vaccello added. “He comes to my games and I come to his games and we don’t have anyone else to rely on. (This time) all our families are here so we’re going to stick to our guns and I hope we can have a good game.”

Fifth-seeded American Ben Shelton advanced to the third round with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Flavio Coboli. He will next face Andrei Rublev. In the final match, fourth seed Taylor Fritz faced Aleksandar Vukic.

The remaining first-round matches were won by ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and 11th seed Daniil Medvedev.

The indoor championships were moved from its long-time home at the Stade Bercy, site of the men’s and women’s basketball finals at last year’s Paris Olympics, to the Stade La Défense. The sports complex is home to the rugby team and has seen fans witness swimming star Léon Marchand’s gold medal run at the Paris Olympics, as well as Taylor Swift’s concert last May.

“It’s much more comfortable. Center Court is bigger, Court 1 and Court 2 are also great,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy. “We have some great facilities, we can practice in a great gym and everything is set up in a perfect way.”

Third-ranked Alexander Zverev found it a bit noisy.

“If you (practice) on one of the outdoor courts, you’ll hear the noise from Court 1 and you’ll hear the noise from the speakers on the (main) court,” the big-serving German said. “There’s a lot going on.”