Andre Agassi's ex-coach claims Carlos Alcaraz's Paris Masters 2R defeat is "big hit" to Spaniard's year-end No. 1 pursuit

Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert has shared his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz's shock defeat in the second round of the 2023 Paris Masters.

Following his withdrawal from the Swiss Indoors Basel due to injuries in his left foot and lower back, Alcaraz made his return to the court at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris.

After first-round bye, the Spaniard locked horns with qualifier Roman Safiullin in the second round. Safiullin earned the biggest win of his career by claiming a 6-3, 6-4 victory over the 20-year-old. The Russian delivered an impressive performance, breaking the second seed's serve on four occasions.

Carlos Alcaraz's defeat significantly dented his chances of securing the year-end World No. 1 ranking. Going into the tournament, the two-time Grand Slam champion trailed Novak Djokovic by a mere 500 points.

However, the 20-year-old failed to add any points to his tally, while Djokovic now has the opportunity to widen the gap to 1,495 points by clinching his record seventh Paris Masters title.

Following the Spaniard's loss, Brad Gilbert praised Safiullin's straight-sets victory and acknowledged the substantial blow to Alcaraz's pursuit of the year-end No. 1 ranking.

"Wow 🤩 Safiullin takes out Escape from Alcaraz in straight sets, a big hit for his year-end number one 👆 chances now," Gilbert posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Carlos Alcaraz after Paris Masters exit: "I knew that Roman Safiullin was going to play a high level, he didn't surprise me at all"

Carlos Alcaraz

During his post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz stated that he wasn't surprised by Roman Safiullin's strong performance, citing the Russian's impressive track record during the season.

"Well, he didn't surprise me at all, because I knew that he has, you know, he has been playing a great level these last few months, you know, beating big guys, reaching finals. I knew that he was going to play a high level. Yeah, he didn't surprise me at all," he said.

Safiullin also expressed satisfaction with his performance, particularly highlighting his ability to elevate his level against an opponent of the Spaniard's caliber.

"Since qualies, I was not playing at this level but against Carlos and these Top 10, Top 20 guys, you have to lift up the level. For Carlos, it was not his best performance, but still I'm happy that I can win... Even if he's not in the best shape it's tough to beat him. So I'm really happy that I made it," Safiullin said in his post-match interview.

Following his win over Carlos Alcaraz, Roman Safiullin will lock horns with compatriot Karen Khachanov for a place in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be back in action at the ATP Finals, scheduled to commence on November 12.