Alexander Zverev's first match as world No. 1 ended in defeat as Lorenzo Musetti beat the German in straight sets in the Paris Masters second round.

Zverev called it one of his worst performances in recent months.Alexander Zverev lost his first game as the World No.1 at the Paris Masters. Paris,Nov 4, 2026 22:43 ISTAlexander Zverev endured a disappointing start to life as the world's top-ranked men's tennis player, going down 7-6 (5), 6-2 to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday.The German, who moved to No.

1 in the rankings on Monday, struggled to find his rhythm against the Italian and was unable to recover after losing a closely contested opening set. Musetti raised his level in the second, wrapping up the match in straight sets to register one of the biggest wins of his season.Zverev was blunt in his assessment of his performance, admitting that he had played poorly."Yeah, I was bad.

It's quite simple," he said. "This was not a very good match for me, I think maybe one of the worst in the last couple of months." The 29-year-old felt the conditions should have suited his aggressive game. He pointed to the pace of the court, which offered an opportunity to take control of rallies, but could not make the most of it."The court was very, very fast," Zverev said. "I actually think that this is the court that it should be." Musetti, meanwhile, made better use of the conditions.

The Italian finished with 29 winners against Zverev's 25 and committed just 12 unforced errors, compared to the German's 21. He sealed the victory with an ace, bringing an end to Zverev's first outing since taking over the top spot.Despite reaching the summit of men's tennis after a successful season that included his first two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open, Zverev appeared frustrated by the scrutiny surrounding his ranking.He said he felt he had not received the recognition he deserved and was annoyed at having to justify his position."The No.

1 status is something that I think every player dreams of," he said. "But then I feel like I'm the only world No. 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it's okay for me to be world No.

1, which I find quite difficult because I think I deserve to be where I am."TIAFOE'S DEFEAT SENDS FILS THROUGHElsewhere, Frances Tiafoe suffered a painful exit after wasting four match points against Frenchman Quentin Halys. The seventh seed lost 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (9), with the result also confirming Arthur Fils' qualification for the ATP Finals.Fils will become the first Frenchman to feature at the season-ending tournament since Gael Monfils in 2016.Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev also bowed out, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Ignacio Buse.Novak Djokovic was scheduled to face qualifier Rinky Hijikata later on Wednesday, while Carlos Alcaraz was set to take on American Alex Michelsen.

Djokovic needs to reach the semifinals in Paris to keep his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive. Only two places remain for the November 15-22 tournament in Turin, with Stockholm the only other ATP 250 event left after Paris.- Ends