Carlos Alcaraz defeated Pierre Hugues Herbert 6–7 7–6 7–5 at the Paris Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event on hard court in the first round on 2 November 2021. As the clear pre-match favourite at 1.28 odds, Alcaraz confirmed his status with a hard-fought victory over the French veteran, who entered at 4.13. The match proved competitive throughout, with both players pushing into tiebreaks in the opening sets before Alcaraz secured the decisive third set. The result underlined Alcaraz's growing consistency at the elite level and his ability to navigate challenging opponents in high-pressure conditions.