Paris - 03/11

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Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000s and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Tuesday, November 3, and in Paris it is 08:30 and 9 degrees. Ok, here we go.

Today at Breakfast

• 🇩🇪 Zverev is the new world No. 1
• 🇮🇹 Musetti gets past Hurkacz in two tie-breaks, Zverev next
• 🇮🇹 Bellucci wins the derby against Sonego, Darderi and Arnaldi go out
• 🇪🇸 Jodar defends ninth place in the Race
• 🇷🇸 Today Djokovic takes on Vacherot, Berrettini faces Nakashima

WHAT HAPPENED:

🇩🇪 Zverev is the new world No. 1

As of this week, Alexander Zverev is No. 1 in the ATP rankings, the thirtieth player in the history of the rankings to reach the top. He has overtaken Jannik Sinner, who drops to No. 2 and is out for the rest of the season. Zverev is 29 and had already secured the year-end top spot. In June he won Roland Garros, his first Slam, before adding the US Open in September, and in Paris he celebrated like this: "It's incredibly special to celebrate here in Paris, where a few months ago I won my first Slam."

For years Zverev chased his first Slam, and there is a certain logic in the No. 1 ranking arriving in the very season he won two. The overtaking comes with Sinner sidelined, and their first meeting in 2027 will say more about the real pecking order. In the meantime, his first match as No. 1 will be against Musetti, which is hardly the most comfortable debut.

🇮🇹 Musetti gets past Hurkacz in two tie-breaks

Lorenzo Musetti beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(3), 7-6(10). Two sets decided in tie-breaks, the second closed 12-10, against one of the hardest serves on tour to read. In the second round Zverev is waiting.

On fast indoor courts against Hurkacz, the match is often decided by a handful of points, and the sense is that Musetti accepted that script patiently, waiting for the tie-breaks to make the difference. Against Zverev he will need something more in the baseline rallies, and that is where we will see how much of this win was form and how much was management.

🇮🇹 Bellucci wins the derby, Darderi and Arnaldi go out

Mattia Bellucci beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 16 minutes in the Italian derby. Luciano Darderi lost 6-2, 6-2 to Rinky Hijikata. From 2-2 in the first set the Australian won ten of the last twelve games, with Darderi not at his best physically. Matteo Arnaldi lost 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to Cameron Norrie. Flavio Cobolli withdrew from Paris to recover from the physical problem that forced him to retire in Vienna.

For Arnaldi that second set shows a level that is still there, and it is the rest of the match, as in recent weeks, that gets away from him. Bellucci, on the other hand, goes through, and at the end of the season every extra round brings points you can feel in the rankings.

🇪🇸 Jodar and the race to Turin

Rafael Jodar, the No. 9 seed, arrived in Paris ninth in the Race on 3,194 points, 24 ahead of Alex de Minaur.

Two weeks ago Jodar finished the Shanghai final calling for the physio for a thigh problem. De Minaur starts directly in the second round, and that turns every match the Spaniard plays into a kind of long-distance playoff. Further back is Djokovic, eleventh, who needs at least the semifinals to stay in the hunt.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Rinderknech vs Cerundolo (Central Court, 11:00) - Rinderknech plays at home against Francisco Cerundolo.
• Nakashima vs Berrettini (Court 2, second match from 11:00) - The two met a few weeks ago in Shanghai, so the rematch comes quickly.
• Djokovic vs Vacherot (Central Court, third match from 11:00) - For Djokovic, eleventh in the Race, it is already a do-or-die match for Turin.
• Paul vs Rune and Bonzi vs Fritz (Court 1, third match from 11:00 and not before 15:30) - Fritz and Paul are twelfth and thirteenth in the Race, a few hundred points off ninth place, and in Paris they have little margin.
• Bolelli/Vavassori vs Schnaitter/Wallner (Court 3, second match from 13:00) - Doubles debut for the Italian pair.
• Shelton vs Norrie (Central Court, not before 19:00) - Shelton opens against the Briton who knocked out Arnaldi yesterday.
• Ruud vs Jodar (Central Court, not before 20:30) - Jodar defends ninth place in the Race against the Norwegian he beat in the Shanghai quarterfinals.

Read More

• ATP Paris 2026, Italian results: Darderi and Arnaldi out, now Sonego-Bellucci
• Winning start for Musetti at the Paris Masters 1000, Darderi out straight away
• Paris Masters 1000 2026: schedule, times and order of play on Tuesday, November 3
• Race to Turin, daily: Jodar ninth by 24 points as the Paris decider opens
• German Alexander Zverev rises to No. 1 for first time in tennis career

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast.