The key facts

  • Berrettini withdrew before the third-round match due to elbow pain
  • Alcaraz will have played only one match in Paris before the quarterfinals
  • On Wednesday, Zverev, Djokovic, Medvedev, Tiafoe and de Minaur left the tournament

Berrettini's withdrawal sends Alcaraz into the quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters tournament without playing: his third-round opponent Matteo Berrettini withdrew due to an elbow injury. 'Unfortunately, the pain in my arm that I have endured over the past few days will not allow me to take the court today,' the 30-year-old Italian wrote on social media (message cited by AFP).

What's next in the draw

For the seven-time Grand Slam champion, this is already the second 'automatic' step: as a top-8 seed he received a first-round bye, so the Spaniard has played only one match in Paris en route to the quarterfinals. On Friday he will face the winner of the Arthur Fils — Taylor Fritz match for a place in the semifinals.

Tournament context

Alcaraz has never won in Paris and is now the highest-ranked player left in the draw after world No. 1 Alexander Zverev lost on Wednesday. That same day, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Frances Tiafoe and Alex de Minaur also exited the tournament. Twelfth-seeded American Tommy Paul also reached the quarterfinals, beating France's Quentin Halys 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; his next opponent will be decided in the Ben Shelton — Arthur Rinderknech match. The evening session will be headlined by the Fils vs Fritz match, while Casper Ruud will take on Jan-Lennard Struff.

Berrettini's injuries

Berrettini's Paris season has once again been marred by health issues: earlier this year he was forced to retire from his French Open quarterfinal against Matteo Arnaldi due to a hip problem. AFP notes that the Italian's career has been repeatedly interrupted by injuries.