Rafael Jodar marks his arrival in the world’s top ten with a straight-sets victory, while Lorenzo Musetti survives two tie-breaks against Hubert Hurkacz.
Rafael Jodar made a confident start to the Rolex Paris Masters on Monday, beating Alejandro Tabilo 6–2, 6–3 on the day he entered the world’s top ten for the first time. Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, overcoming Hubert Hurkacz in two tie-breaks to earn a meeting with new world number one Alexander Zverev.
The contrasting victories gave the opening round two distinct stories: Jodar converted a strong position with sustained pressure, while Musetti had to preserve his composure through a tightly balanced finish. Both secured the immediate reward that matters in a knockout draw, another match in the final Masters event of the season.
Jodar keeps the pressure on in the Turin race
The ATP’s match report places Jodar ninth in the live race to the Nitto ATP Finals, describing him as just inside the qualification cut at that point. His Paris result therefore matters to a contest for season-ending places as well as to his progress through this week’s draw.
The 20-year-old converted five of 12 break-point opportunities against Tabilo, according to the ATP account. He is due to face Casper Ruud next after the Norwegian defeated qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6–3, 6–2. The opening victory strengthens Jodar’s position, while qualification still depends on the remaining results.
The tournament’s report recorded 34 winners and 17 unforced errors for Jodar during a match lasting one hour and 16 minutes. Those figures describe an assertive performance backed by enough control to avoid extending the contest into a deciding set.
Musetti holds his nerve through an extended tie-break
Musetti’s route was less comfortable. He defeated Hurkacz 7–6(3), 7–6(10) after one hour and 43 minutes, with the tournament report describing a second tie-break lasting about 20 minutes. Hurkacz saved three match points and created two set points of his own before the Italian finally closed it out.
The match statistics published by Tennis.com show that both players held all 12 service games. Musetti saved the match’s only recorded break point. The result was consequently decided in the tie-breaks rather than by a conventional service break during either set.
That pattern makes the ending particularly significant. Hurkacz stayed competitive throughout his service games, but Musetti won the concentrated sequence of points that settled each set. The score conveys a straight-sets result while the match details show how narrow the second half of that victory became.
A different challenge comes next
The opening-day programme had identified the Musetti–Hurkacz meeting as an especially competitive first-round pairing. The winner’s reward is now an immediate examination against Zverev at the top of the rankings. Monday’s performance provides evidence of resilience, while the next opponent presents a separate tactical challenge.
Elsewhere in the opening results, the tournament reported wins for Rinky Hijikata, Ignacio Buse and Luca Van Assche. For Jodar and Musetti, however, the next round supplies the clearest measure of progress: one is trying to strengthen his season-ending qualification position, while the other seeks to turn a difficult first victory into a deeper Paris run.
Sources
ATP: Jodar’s victory and the race to Turin; Rolex Paris Masters: Opening-round report; Tennis.com: Musetti–Hurkacz result and match statistics; Rolex Paris Masters: Opening-day programme and background.
