Carlos Alcaraz secured a place in the last 16 of the Paris Masters tournament after defeating American Alex Michelsen 7:6(4), 6:3. The match on the hard courts in the French capital lasted one hour and 42 minutes.
The No. 2 seed from Spain had to come through a stern test in the first set. The two players traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games, after which neither encountered any further problems on serve. The set was therefore decided in a tiebreak.
Michelsen made the better start and took a 4:1 lead in points, but Alcaraz showed character and won six consecutive rallies to close out the set in his favour.
The second set also offered a closely fought battle, but the Spaniard managed to assert his superiority at the decisive moments. In the seventh game, he saved a break point for his opponent, then converted a break shortly afterwards to lead 5:3. Alcaraz was flawless on serve after that and brought the match to an end.
In the next round, the former world No. 1 will face Italian Matteo Berrettini for a place in the quarter-finals.