Paris Masters: Berrettini pulls out before Alcaraz, the Spaniard into the quarter-finals

Matteo Berrettini’s Thursday opened on a challenge and closed on a message. “Especially in these conditions, I can beat anybody. I know the worth of my tennis,” said the Italian late on Thursday morning, fresh from his two Parisian wins and hours before a last-16 tie against Carlos Alcaraz. Shortly before noon, he ended his tournament there: “the arm pain I have been carrying for a few days will not let me take the court tonight,” he wrote on social media.

Two wins, then the arm

His Paris run had lasted three days: Brandon Nakashima on Tuesday 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, Ugo Humbert on Wednesday 7-6 (3), 7-5. The Italian press had noticed discomfort in his right elbow during the Humbert match; his message of the day speaks of arm pain, nothing more precise. “In the coming days I will do all the necessary tests to understand better what it is,” Berrettini added. How long he will be out is not known.

What the withdrawal changes for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz, ranked 3rd, reaches the quarter-finals without having played, matching his best result at this tournament. Opened on Wednesday against Alex Michelsen (7-6 (4), 6-3), the Spaniard keeps his Thursday free: a match first scheduled on court 1 moves to Center Court. On Friday he will meet the winner of sixth seed Arthur Fils and 11th seed Taylor Fritz, who close the programme on Thursday evening.

The market had started to lean towards the Italian: his win price, opened at 6.50, was down to 5.50 with Betway on Thursday morning, and his +4.5-game handicap had shortened from 2.01 to 1.83 with Bet365. The withdrawal freezes those prices: the last-16 tie will not be played, and there is nothing left to take from the matchup. Our match preview stays online, with no bet registered: the market offered no value on this duel. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.