Mission title defense in Paris
Zverev fights to win after falling behind
October 29, 2025 – 5:38 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Last year Alexander Zverev won the Masters in Paris. He wants to defend his title. The mission started successfully.
Alexander Zverev started the Masters tournament in Paris with a hard-earned victory. Germany’s number one had a lot of trouble against the Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli, but prevailed after 2:35 hours 6:7 (5:7), 6:1, 7:5.
The 28-year-old arrived in Vienna after an “incredibly positive week” including participation in the final. In Paris, the Hamburg resident not only wants to defend his title from last year, but also strengthen his third position in the ATP ranking. The pressure is high: The American Taylor Fritz is lurking right behind him in the rankings. In the coming weeks, Zverev also has the ATP Finals in Turin and the final round of the Davis Cup in Bologna.
“Some people have forgotten that I can still play tennis when I’m healthy and fit,” Zverev said after his defeat in the Vienna final against superstar Jannik Sinner. In Paris, however, he initially had a difficult time at the start against Ugo Carabelli.
It wasn’t until the second set that the favorite got rolling. The three-time major finalist achieved the break he longed for, he now used his power and successfully found his way to the net more often. In the decisive third set, Zverev finally survived a wobble at the start – despite an early break from his opponent, the Olympic champion fought his way to victory with an energetic performance.
His opponent’s weak nerves also played into his hands: Ugo Carabelli made two double faults in the decisive phase of the game and also made some unfortunate decisions. Zverev finally used his first match point and then raised his arms in relief.