Day 4 of the ATP Paris Masters offers plenty of brilliant matches, with a number of the top stars on display. Novak Djokovic will try to continue his bounce-back after his US Open final loss. What do you expect to see on Day 4 in Paris? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
ATP Paris Masters Day 4 Predictions
Dominik Koepfer vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Dominik Koepfer defeated ninth-seeded Felix Auger Alliassime in his second-round match. This victory came after a thrilling match against Andy Murray, in which he saved a staggering seven match points. Koepfer’s fearless hitting even on crunch points stood out in both of his upsets. Hubert Hurkacz meanwhile, won his second-round encounter against Tommy Paul in straight sets, though both sets saw very close competition, as the match lasted almost two hours. Hurkacz served well, as he banged 13 aces in the match. However, a spot of bother for Hurkacz is the way he let his opponent claw back from 5-0 to 5-5 in the first set. Still, Hurkacz is a great hard courter and should be able to scrape a win here.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Cameron Norrie vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head: Norrie 4-3 Fritz
Cameron Norrie has cruised through his draw so far. In two matches, he has dropped a total of just ten games. In his second-round match, Norrie defeated big-serving Reilly Opelka in just over an hour. Norrie is looked really good in Paris too, continuing his great run of form from the earlier tournaments. Taylor Fritz, after defeating Lorenzo Sonego in a tough match in the first round, recovered excellently to upset fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev in two sets. Fritz served 11 aces, facing just one unconverted breakpoint. This should be a very entertaining match, looking at how close the level of play from both sides is. But I see Norrie taking home the win.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Carlos Alcaraz vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Talented Spanish youngster Carlos Alcaraz is taking his achievements to new heights. His latest casualty was none other than another talented youngster, Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz showed extremely high levels of mental strength throughout the match; his straight-set win taking over two hours. At the top, Alcaraz is certainly here to stay. Hugo Gaston showed a huge fight in his second-round victory against 12th seeded Pablo Carreno Busta. His four matches at Paris till now, including the qualifying rounds, have all lasted well over 2 hours. Gaston might not be physically ready to grind it out against a solid player like Alcaraz, but then again- we had thought the same before his last match. On his day, Gaston can pull off any upset. Nevertheless, Alcaraz should seal it if he manages to keep up the fight.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
Head-to-head: Djokovic 17-0 Monfils
Novak Djokovic, after his heartbreaking loss in the finals of the US Open, skipped the Indian Wells Masters among other some other tournaments, to directly return to the tour in Paris. However, he didn’t look affected at all, as he outlasted Marton Fucsovics in three sets to advance to the third round. Djokovic leads the head-to-head with Monfils with 17 wins to none. It is indeed a demoralizing stat, but that wouldn’t be something Gael Monfils would be focusing on before his third-round match. The way he came back from a set down to defeat a dangerous-looking Adrian Mannarino will do his confidence good. Nevertheless, if Djokovic comes into his own (which he will do, after getting a good warm-up against Fucsovics), there is no stopping him.
Prediction: Djokovic in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
