Lorenzo Musetti Stuns No. 1 Zverev at Paris Masters

Lorenzo Musetti served it out with an ace and beat world No. 1 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Wednesday in the second round of the Paris Masters. It's Zverev's first match since taking over the top spot on Monday, and he lasted one hour, 40 minutes on Court Central.

That's a rough way to open a reign. Zverev won the French Open and the US Open this year, the first two Grand Slam titles of his career, and the fast indoor court in Paris looked built for his serve. Instead Musetti's into the round of 16, and the top seed's heading home early.

How Musetti Pulled It Off

The first set was the whole match. It went to a tiebreak, and Musetti said the key moment came when he trailed 5-2 in it and rattled off five straight points. "It was really close. It could have gone both ways," he said on court. "I played five great points in a row."

After that, Zverev never really found his footing. Musetti finished with more winners (29 to 25) and far fewer unforced errors (12 to 21), and that's about as clean a picture of this one as you'll get. The second set was over quickly, and the Italian sealed it with an ace.

Zverev Didn't Hold Back

Zverev didn't dress it up when he spoke afterward, in comments carried by the Associated Press. "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."

He also sounded frustrated about how his rise to No. 1 has been received. "I feel like I'm the only world No. 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it's OK for me to be world No. 1, which I find quite difficult because I think I deserve to be where I am," the 29-year-old said. He even admitted the court suited him. "The court was very, very fast. I actually think that this is the court that it should be."

So he loses his first match as No. 1, on a surface he likes, to a guy he should've been favored against. You can understand the mood.

What's Next for Musetti

Musetti's next opponent is Luca Van Assche, who knocked out No. 15 seed Learner Tien in straight sets. Wednesday was a brutal day for the seeds, too. No. 4 Daniil Medvedev lost to Ignacio Buse, No. 8 Alex de Minaur went out to Tomas Martin Etcheverry, and Novak Djokovic fell to qualifier Rinky Hijikata. The draw just opened up.

If Musetti keeps serving and hitting like he did against Zverev, there's no reason he can't make a real run in Paris this week.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Musetti's winners against Van Assche. He hit 29 of them against the world No. 1 and kept his errors down at 12.