Day 3 of the Paris Masters 2020 sees the World No. 2 and 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, in action. We also have the exciting Russians in Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev in action as well. There are 11 Round of 32 matches scheduled for Day 3 and as always we preview and predict all of them including Andrey Rublev vs Radu Albot and Daniil Medvedev vs Kevin Anderson.
ATP Paris Masters Day 3 Predictions
Benjamin Bonzi vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Head to head – First Meeting
The Spaniard, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina enters this match high on confidence after taking out the 2018 champion, Karen Khachanov. Davidovich Fokina has been playing well since the French Open, reaching the semifinals and quarterfinals back to back in Cologne. The Spaniard has come through qualifying well and while Bonzi made the most of his wild card entry by putting up a solid performance, Fokina should overpower the Frenchman and book a well deserved Round of 32 slot.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 2
Jordan Thompson vs Borna Coric
Head to head – Coric 1-0 Thompson
This match could prove to be an exciting affair. These two met recently at the US Open 2020 with Borna Coric winning in straight sets. Jordan Thompson hasn’t quite found his footing in the indoor season winning just the one match across three tournaments post the French Open and prior to entering Paris Masters. The Aussie would be glad to have made a good start here beating Federico Delbonis in straight sets but his next opponent is playing very well and beating him may prove to be a task beyond him.
Coric impressed in St. Petersburg by reaching the finals and played a good match against Novak Djokovic in Vienna. The Croat took out a tricky opponent in Marton Fucsovics with relative ease in his opening round encounter. Expect long exchanges from the baseline with Coric able to move Thompson around the court. The Croat’s serve hasn’t been his strongest suit but it’s the same case for the Aussie. Expecting a lot of breaks of serve but Coric looks more solid from the baseline and should manage to nab the victory.
Prediction: Coric in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Feliciano Lopez
Head to head – Nadal 9-4 Lopez
The battle of the Spaniards should be highly entertaining. This rivalry’s first installment came in 2003 which makes this rivalry one of the longest and the oldest. Interestingly, Lopez has won the last two encounters against Nadal but the last of them came in 2015. A lot has changed since but Lopez still remains a tricky opponent for anyone. His serve and volley game style makes him extremely dangerous on grass and the indoor courts.
Nadal would’ve definitely preferred a slightly less tricky opponent considering it’s his first match since the French Open and his first hard court match since Acapulco in late February. He has never won here which should motivate Nadal even more to finally lift the trophy here. Expect a slow start from Nadal and Lopez to capitalize by taking a set but once the 20 time Grand Slam champion finds his range, Nadal should be able to counter the heavy serve from Lopez and make a lot of passing shots. Lopez is likely not to let Nadal settle but as the match goes on, Nadal will get more comfortable around the court to get the win.
Prediction: Nadal in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
