Taylor Fritz accidentally hits ball girl, leaving her in tears

WATCH: Taylor Fritz leaves ball girl in tears after striking her accidentally during Paris Masters 3R vs Arthur Fils.

A routine serve turned into a frightening moment Thursday night at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Taylor Fritz, the 29-year-old American, was facing Arthur Fils in the third round on Court Central at the Plenitude Arena.

Early in the opening set, Fritz struck a serve that went off course.

The ball hit a ball girl standing along the sideline directly in the face.

She was visibly shaken and burst into tears.

The match stopped immediately.

Arthur Fils, the Frenchman on the other side of the net, was the first to react.

He crossed the court to check on the young girl's condition.

He then gently escorted her off the court.

According to reports, Fritz also checked to see if she was all right.

Neither the tournament nor the ATP has issued a public update on her condition as of this writing.

The incident happened during what was otherwise a dominant performance from Fritz.

He went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4 in 71 minutes.

Fritz faced no break points across the entire match.

He blasted 14 aces to Fils's six.

The American finished with 29 winners to Fils's 15.

He won 41 of his 51 service points, including 11 of 12 behind his second serve.

That kept the Frenchman on the back foot from start to finish.

Fils had every reason to be distracted by his own situation.

He had already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

But he offered little resistance on this night.

Fils saved two break points in the opening game of the second set to hold.

Fritz broke through his defense in the next service game and never looked back.

After the match, Fritz spoke about his performance.

"I was returning really well and serving really well," Fritz said via the ATP.

"That kind of takes care of itself when I am serving well and playing aggressively."

"It was fast conditions, and it really enabled me when I stepped in and went for the shots."

The victory was significant beyond the incident.

It marked Taylor Fritz's 100th win at the Masters 1000 level.

It was also his tour-leading 13th indoor win of the season.

The result kept his hopes alive for qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Fritz currently sits in 11th place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Two spots remain for the season finale.

He is now 184 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jodar in the Live Race.

Had Fils won, Frances Tiafoe would have qualified on Thursday night.

Fritz now has 3,050 points.

He would pass Rafael Jodar (3,234) by reaching the semi-finals.

He would pass Tiafoe (3,390) by reaching the final.

Tommy Paul, on 2,925 points, is also still in contention but needs to reach the final.

Paul faces Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals in the other half of the draw.

The victory also sent Luca Van Assche through as the last Frenchman in the singles draw.

Van Assche beat Lorenzo Musetti earlier on Thursday.

Next for Fritz is second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz reached the last eight without playing after Matteo Berrettini withdrew.

Berrettini withdrew from their third-round match with an arm injury.

Alcaraz, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, is chasing his first semifinal in Paris.

He holds a 6-1 lead in the pair's ATP head-to-head series.

"I am excited for it," Fritz said about facing Alcaraz on Friday.

"Excited for the opportunity."

"That's why I have gotten to this point in the tournament."

"I knew I was probably gonna have to go through him if I wanted to make Turin."

"So, I'm ready to play."

Fils, in his post-match press conference, ruled out any injury.

"No, no injury," Fils said.

"He just played better than me."

"I wasn't comfortable on court, because he made me uncomfortable."

"He played a very good match and I congratulate him."

"It's not as if I played a bad match," he added.

"He was just stronger than me, he served better and returned better."

"In the end, it's two breaks, 6-3, 6-4."

"Not much to say."

The moment with the ball girl overshadowed much of the on-court action.

Video of the incident has been shared widely on social media.

Viewers praised Fils for his quick and compassionate response.

The Frenchman crossed the net before officials or medical staff could reach the girl.

He stayed with her until she was safely off the court.

Fritz's reaction was also noted.

The American checked on the ball girl's condition after the point ended.

The match resumed after a brief pause.

Neither player appeared to lose focus after the incident.

Fritz continued his aggressive serving and returned to form immediately.

The ball girl's current condition remains unknown.

The ATP and tournament organizers have not released a statement.

No update has been provided on whether she required medical attention.

The incident serves as a reminder of the risks involved in professional tennis.

Ball girls and ball boys stand close to the court during play.

They are trained to stay still and avoid interfering with the match.

But serves in men's tennis regularly exceed 130 miles per hour.

Even a slight misdirection can turn a routine point into a dangerous moment.

Fritz's serve was clocked as one of the fastest of his match.

The ball struck the girl before she had time to react.

The crowd fell silent for a moment before applauding when she was led off.

The match continued without further incident.

Fritz will now prepare for his quarter-final clash with Alcaraz.

The match is scheduled for Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Alcaraz has not played since his second-round win.

He received a walkover when Berrettini withdrew.