Day 2 at the final Masters 1000 event of the ATP season in Paris-Bercy will feature plenty of exciting action, including the debut of World #4 and two-time Slam finalist Casper Ruud, who’ll take on former Top 10 player Richard Gasquet. 2016 finalist John Isner will also play this Tuesday against an Andrey Rublev still looking for a maiden Masters 1000 crown. Finally in a quite peculiar turn of events it’ll also feature a matchup we’ve already seen yesterday… in qualifying.
ATP Paris Bercy Day 2 Predictions
Arthur Fils vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: Fils 1-0 Fognini
Their one previous matchup happened Sunday in this very court… in qualifying. Then Berrettini withdrew, Fognini came in as a lucky loser and here we go again. On Sunday, Fils won a very tight three-setter, which means the odds are slightly against him this time around. When the margins are small, it’s somewhat unlikely that they go the same way twice in three days. But then again, the 18-year-old has nothing to lose in front of his home crowd and will give it his all to make it past a declined Fognini.
Prediction: Fils in 3
John Isner vs Andrey Rublev
Head-to-head: Isner 3-0 Rublev
They’ve played six sets and Rublev has only managed to break Isner in one of them, which was also the only set he ever won in this matchup. It’s very clear that Rublev struggles massively with Isner’s serve and the American looked to be in good shape against yesterday after an injury forced him to withdraw at the US Open and kept him out until now. This is a court where Isner has fared very well and where his serve is particuarly potent so Rublev could well be in trouble again. A defeat for Rublev tomorrow would put his Tour Finals spot in jeopardy, although either Fritz or Hurkacz would need to reach the final to leapfrog him.
Prediction: Isner in 3
Richard Gasquet vs Casper Ruud
Head-to-head: Gasquet 1-0 Ruud
On paper, Ruud would be a clear favorite but he seems to be a bit spent after a season where he surpassed all possible expectations with two Slam finals and lots of smaller titles. He has lost his last three matches and looked a bit jaded in all of them. Gasquet has actually been slowly crawling back up the rankings and getting some decent wins this season and he might well get another here in front of his home crowd.
Prediction: Gasquet in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
