The Paris Masters serves as the last ATP Masters event of the year, giving it special importance. A high-level playing field is also something it can always boast of. With World #1 Novak Djokovic joining the action with the NextGen stars, this tournament is certainly going to be entertaining. As always, we predict every ATP Paris Day 1 match for you. We have four matches in this article, plus two other articles. One features Benoit Paire vs Pablo Carreno Busta and the other features Andy Murray vs Jenson Brooksby.
ATP Paris Day 1 Predictions
Dusan Lajovic vs Mackenzie McDonald
Head-to-head: Lajovic 0-1 McDonald
Dusan Lajovic is going through a rather low phase. From his last 10 matches, he has managed to win just three. What is more concerning, is that his losses have come against players who didn’t go very deep in tournaments either, save Tiafoe. This is not a good sign for Lajovic, who is about to face an upcoming American, Mackenzie McDonald. McDonald finished runner-up at the Citi Open, owing to an entertaining display of attacking tennis. However, after losing in the first round the Toronto Masters, we can see a peculiar pattern arising in his performances. In as many as five tournaments starting from Cincinnati, he starts the tournament with a promising first round performance, before losing miserably in the next match. This is an area where he needs to focus on in this tournament, as it seems pretty clear that he will be advancing.
Prediction: McDonald in 3
Cameron Norrie vs Federico Delbonis
Head-to-head: Norrie 1-1 Delbonis
Cameron Norrie, after his first round loss at the US Open, has come out as a different man. At the San Diego ATP, he defeated Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev in consecutive matches, before winning his first Masters 1000 title at the ATP Indian Wells. It seems like he can do no wrong at the moment. He is expected to go deep here as well. Federico Delbonis, on the other hand, has horrible results from his last few matches. His last win came way back in July, after which he has gone nine matches without a win. With the courts being a little faster in Paris, he will have a harder time to cope with his merciless opponent. Norrie should have no problems wiping it up quickly.
Prediction: Norrie in 2
Alexander Bublik vs Dan Evans
Head-to-head: Bublik 3-1 Evans
Alexander Bublik is not enjoying very good results in his recent matches. He is a talented player well enough, but hasn’t managed to perform consistently against good players. If he can’t manage to bring something completely different to the table against Evans, he has very little chances of making the second round. Daniel Evans has had below average results in his recent outings after the US Open. He will be wishing to get back on track in Paris, where the courts are likely to favor his style. Evans might take some confidence from this match if manages to close it out quickly.
Prediction: Evans in 2
Aslan Karatsev vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: Karatsev 0-2 Korda
After many months of poor results and disappointed fans, it looks like Aslan Karatsev is back to winning ways. It was at the San Diego Open, where he started on his way back. Three weeks later, he won the title at the Moscow ATP. There is no stopping Karatsev when he is at his best, but his loss straight-set loss to John Millman a few days later shows that he is yet to get the consistency. American rising star and sensation Sebastian Korda will face him on the other side of the net. Korda is not playing best tennis at the moment, and is coming into the match after poor showing at recent tournaments. He is ranked lower than Karatsev, and current form points to Karatsev as the winner. However, Korda leads their head-to-head by two matches, and that should boost him. Still, I think Karatsev will prevail in a tough match.
Prediction: Karatsev in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
