The fifth day of the 2022 Paris Masters was a visual treat for fans, with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Carlos Alcaraz in action, among others. While some of them passed the stage and secured a spot in the final four, others failed to do so.
Defending champion Djokovic advanced after defeating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets while playing in top form as usual. 2021 French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn't far behind, as he too made it to the semifinals with a straight-sets victory over Tommy Paul.
However, there was a major upset that pretty much no one saw coming: World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz had his run cut short by his childhood doubles buddy Holger Rune.
Without further ado, here are the major results from Day 5 of the 2022 Paris Masters:
Novak Djokovic bagels Lorenzo Musetti
Novak Djokovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the Paris Masters semi-finals. The former World No. 1 even gave the Italian a bagel as he reached the final four at Bercy.
Djokovic will now take on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals in a rematch of their summit clash at the 2022 Astana Open. It will also be their 11th meeting on the tour.
Holger Rune upsets top seed Carlos Alcaraz
Holger Rune, 19, advanced to his first ATP Masters semi-final at the Paris Masters 2022 on Friday when World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the quarterfinals due to an injury.
The Dane will lock horns with Felix Auger Aliassime in the last-4 fixture on Saturday. He will try to avenge his loss against the Canadian just five days ago in Basel at the Swiss Indoors.
Felix Auger-Aliassime makes it to the last 4
Felix Auger-Aliassime's stellar tennis season continued on Friday with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters. On his sixth match point, the 22-year-old Canadian slammed a forehand past Tiafoe to win his 16th straight match.
He will next take on Holger Rune, who defeated World No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in his quarterfinal fixture.
Stefanos Tsitsipas storms past Tommy Paul
On Friday evening, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated American Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4 to make it to the final four of the Paris Masters at the Accor Arena. With this victory, he reached 60 singles wins in a calendar year for the first time in his professional career.
He will now square off against defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
Paris Masters 2022: Day 5 results at a glance
Men's singles (quarterfinals):
(8) Felix Auger-Aliassime def. (16) Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-4
(6) Novak Djokovic def. Lorenzo Musetti 6-0, 6-3
Holger Rune def. (1) Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-6 (RET)
(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4
Men's doubles (quarterfinals):
(2) Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski def. Rohan Bopanna/Matwe Middelkoop 6-3, 6-4
(7) Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara def. Jamie Murray/Matthew Ebden 6-3, 7-6(8-6)
(8) Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek def. (1) Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury 3-6, 6-4, 10-6
Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies def. (4) Tim Puetz/Michael Venus 6-3, 6-3
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