Zverev's No. 1 debut ends in frustration and defeat

Alexander Zverev became the 30th man in ATP history to reach world No. 1 on Monday.

His first match in that position lasted 68 minutes.

Lorenzo Musetti, ranked No. 24, defeated Zverev 7-6(5), 6-2 in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.

It made Zverev the first player ever to lose his debut match as world No. 1 in straight sets.

Zverev led 5-2 in the first-set tiebreak.

Musetti won the next five points to take the opener.

The Italian held all 10 of his service games and broke Zverev twice in the second set.

Musetti hit 29 winners to Zverev's 25.

He made 12 unforced errors to Zverev's 21.

This was Musetti's fourth win in six career meetings with Zverev.

It was also his second victory against a world No. 1.

Zverev did not make excuses after the match.

"To simplify it, he played really good and I played really bad," Zverev said in his press conference.

He called it one of his worst performances in months.

"I was bad. It's quite simple. There's no excuses," Zverev said.

He mentioned the court was "very, very fast" but immediately clarified that this is how indoor courts should play.

Then Zverev turned to what had been bothering him since Monday.

"I was a bit annoyed, to be honest, the last couple of days," Zverev said.

"Achieving the world No. 1 status is something that I think every player dreams of."

"But then, I feel like I'm the only world No. 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it's ok for me to be world No. 1," he continued.

Zverev said the scrutiny has been difficult.

He insisted he still deserves the top ranking despite the criticism.

"I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today," Zverev said.

The scrutiny surrounding Zverev's No. 1 ranking has been a theme this season.

He won the French Open and the US Open in 2026, his first two Grand Slam titles.

He leads the ATP tour with 65 wins this year.

Critics have pointed out that he has only beaten three top-10 players this season.

They also note he benefited from the extended absences of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Zverev is the first German man to reach world No. 1 since Boris Becker in 1991.

The Paris Masters is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 events on the calendar.

It is played on indoor hard courts at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Wednesday's match was only the second round for Zverev, who received a first-round bye as the top seed.

Musetti, 24, is having a strong season of his own.

He won the title in Lyon last month.

His victory over Zverev continues a trend: he now leads their head-to-head 4-2.

Zverev was not the only top player to lose on Wednesday.

Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata stunned No. 10 Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Djokovic, a seven-time Paris champion, needed to reach the semifinals to qualify for the ATP Finals.

"I should have won this match, I know," Djokovic said.