It’s quarterfinal day at the ATP Paris Masters 2020. Only eight men remain at this year’s draw and it’s an exciting mix of young hopefuls and seasoned veterans. We preview and predict all four quarterfinal clashes for you.
ATP Paris Masters Quarterfinal Predictions
Milos Raonic vs Ugo Humbert
Head to head – First Meeting
This should be a cracker of a match. Both players head into into this clash with extreme confidence which makes this battle extremely tough to call. Milos Raonic is on a serving masterclass streak yet to drop this serve and has faced just the one break point over three matches this week. The Canadian has looked imperious but his quarter final matchup will be his toughest test so far.
Ugo Humbert has won eight straight matches and the quality of opponents he’s faced has been pretty high. The Frenchman dug deep in his match against Marin Cilic and he did looked a tad tired towards the end but got the job done. Fatigue will increasingly start to play a role in the Frenchman’s game and that is something he can not afford against a player like Raonic. Anyone who faces the Canadian has to stay sharp for each and every point and that will be a big task for Humbert. The Frenchman is confident and that’s why he should nab a set in maybe a tiebreak but Raonic looks fresh and should close it out in three tight sets.
Prediction: Raonic in 3
Daniil Medvedev vs Diego Schwartzman
Head to head – Medvedev 3-0 Schwartzman
This is another tight clash to call right from the start. While the head to head suggests Medvedev should enter this as the favorite, recent form of both players suggests otherwise. Medvedev had set very high standards when he played in the indoor season last year but the Russian hasn’t quite replicated that. He’s struggling to string together more than two good games of tennis and that’s costing him. That all took a backseat though in his third round encounter with Alex De Minaur as the Russian produced his best tennis in the last two sets.
Diego Schwartzman hasn’t looked back since he reached the finals in Rome. The Argentine has been consistent in producing good tennis since and if he manages to get through an opponent he’s never beaten before, it’ll be a huge boost for him. Matchup wise, it’s pretty even from the baseline. Both of them play high percentage shots and are highly consistent from the baseline. What separates them is their serving ability and Medvedev has been posting great numbers on his serve this week. Schwartzman hasn’t really been tested but his serve is going to come under tremendous pressure as the Russian is a solid returner. The Argentine is never short on grit and should take this to very end which eventually will favour the better serving Russian.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Alexander Zverev vs Stan Wawrinka
Head to head – Zverev 3-0 Wawrinka
Both players had to dig extremely deep to get through to the quarter finals and it remains to be seen who’s fresher when they play each other. Alexander Zverev was pushed to his absolute limit against Adrian Mannarino and maybe the German is feeling the toll of winning back to back tournaments in Cologne.
Stan Wawrinka, on the other hand, took out the in-form player of 2020 in Andrey Rublev and the Swiss was clinical in the last two sets. He’s certainly not the player he once was but he’s still a fiery competitor nevertheless. Expect a high octane clash and if Zverev recovers well, he should be confident as he’s never lost to the Swiss before. Wawrinka is playing well this week but Zverev has been Impressive once again and should just eke out the win.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Head to head – Nadal 6-0 Carreno Busta
We have an all Spaniard quarterfinal match with the top seed, Rafael Nadal, having to stretch in the second set against Jordan Thompson. Nadal needed a tiebreak to close things out but he’d be mighty pleased as a third set could’ve been tricky. Paris Indoors hasn’t been a place where Nadal performs at his best hence he’ll take a straight sets win anyday.
Pablo Carreno Busta is certainly playing well producing his best result at a tournament since the French Open 2020. While his wins have been impressive this week, his strength lies in his consistent baseline game and as was evident against Thompson, Nadal doesn’t mind that battle. Expect Nadal to serve well as he did against Thompson and dominate the baseline rallies as he’s done against Carreno Busta on all six previous occasions.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
