Tommy Paul Ends Halys’s Run at Paris Masters

Tommy Paul never lost his serve and struck late in both sets as the American 12th seed beat France’s Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the last 16 of the Paris Masters 1000 on Thursday.

The World No. 14 needed 1 hour 36 minutes to see off Halys, ranked at his career high of 46th.

Paul will face third seed Ben Shelton or Arthur Rinderknech in the quarter-finals.

Halys had entered the match on the biggest run of his career.

The French No. 4 had beaten Britain’s Arthur Fery 7-6 (6), 7-5 and then stunned American Frances Tiafoe, the World No. 8, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (9) earlier in the week.

That victory over Tiafoe was widely described as the biggest win of Halys’s career.

Speaking in French at his press conference on Wednesday, Halys had said he felt able to win but expected a difficult match against an American who moves well.

Paul proved that prediction correct.

The American won 43 of 45 points behind his first serve and saved the only break point he faced.

Halys, by contrast, saved seven of eight break points but could not stop Paul’s late strikes in both sets.

In the first set, Paul took the tiebreak 7-3, converting his third set point.

In the second set, Paul finally broke at 5-4, converting his second match point.

Paul opened his week with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Denmark’s Holger Rune, then beat Spain’s Daniel Merida 6-1, 6-1 in the second round.

His 2026 season has already brought four finals, including his title in Houston.

The Paris Masters is an ATP Masters 1000 event, the highest tier of regular men’s tennis tournament below the Grand Slams.

It is held annually at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, and is the last Masters 1000 event of the season.

The tournament features a 56-player singles draw and a 24-team doubles draw.

Matches are played on indoor hard courts, which typically favor big servers and aggressive baseliners.

For Halys, the loss ends a breakthrough week that lifted him to a career-high ranking of 46th.

At 28 years old, the Frenchman had never before reached the third round of a Masters 1000 event.

His run included the victory over Tiafoe, which was played in front of a raucous home crowd that cheered every point.

For Paul, the win continues a strong indoor season.

The American has now reached the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the third time in his career.

He is chasing one of the remaining qualification spots for the ATP Finals, the season-ending championship for the top eight players.

Speaking after the match, Paul acknowledged the challenge of facing a home favorite.

“It’s a win-win,” Paul said on chasing one spot at the ATP Finals, according to Tennis Tonic.

The quarter-final match against either Shelton or Rinderknech will be played on Friday.

Shelton is the third seed and a rising American star known for his powerful lefty serve.

Rinderknech is a Frenchman who would have the home crowd behind him if he wins.

The Paris Masters has seen several upsets this week.

World No. 1 Alexander Zverev was knocked out by Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic, a six-time Paris champion, fell to qualifier Rinky Hijikata, ending his hopes of reaching the ATP Finals.

Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, advanced after Matteo Berrettini withdrew with an injury.

The remaining quarter-final matches include Lorenzo Musetti vs. Luca Van Assche, Rinky Hijikata vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Casper Ruud, Nuno Borges vs. Ignacio Buse, and Arthur Fils vs. Taylor Fritz.

The Paris Masters is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the ATP calendar.

It has been held since 1986 and has been won by players including Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic holds the record with seven titles.

The tournament is the final event before the ATP Finals, which will be held in Turin, Italy, later this month.

Only the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams qualify for the ATP Finals.

Paul’s win keeps his hopes alive of qualifying for the first time in his career.

For Halys, the week in Paris represents a significant step forward.

He had never before beaten a top-10 player before defeating Tiafoe.

His ranking rise to 46th puts him in contention for direct entry into the Australian Open main draw in January.

The French tennis federation will also consider him for Davis Cup selection.

Halys’s game is built around a powerful serve and forehand, which he used to trouble Tiafoe.

Against Paul, however, he faced an opponent who returned well and moved exceptionally on the indoor surface.

Paul’s footwork and ability to redirect the ball made it difficult for Halys to dictate rallies.

The match statistics reflect that dynamic.

Paul won 96% of his first-serve points, a remarkable figure at any level.

Halys won 71% of his first-serve points, which is strong but not enough against an opponent serving as well as Paul did.

Paul also won 50% of his return points on Halys’s first serve, keeping pressure on the Frenchman throughout.