Quentin Halys and Arthur Rinderknech gave the French crowd victories in the opening round of the Paris Masters on 3 November. Halys beat Arthur Fery in straight sets, while Rinderknech advanced after Francisco Cerundolo retired during their deciding set.
Halys won 7–6(6), 7–5 after recovering from 5–2 down in the first-set tie-break and saving two set points. He then protected his serve before taking the decisive break late in the second set.
The victory was his first in the tournament’s main draw. His next opponent is seventh seed Frances Tiafoe, offering a substantially different test after a close opening match settled by a handful of important points.
Rinderknech’s passage was more complicated. Cerundolo served for the match at 5–4 in the second set, but the Frenchman broke back, won the tie-break and took the early initiative in the third. The Argentine then stopped with a back problem at 3–6, 7–6(2), 2–0.
Rinderknech had himself returned after an abdominal injury and arrived short of match practice. He now faces Italy’s Mattia Bellucci. The result gives him another match to build rhythm, although the retirement means the contest did not reach a normal conclusion.
The two wins keep local interest alive at the indoor Masters event. They also illustrate different forms of survival in a tight draw: Halys converted pressure moments into a straight-sets win, while Rinderknech recovered from the brink before his opponent’s injury ended the match.
