The first round of the 2022 ATP Rolex Paris Masters will be wrapped up on Tuesday in Paris, along with a couple of matches from the next stage of the event. One of them will be Karen Khachanov against Marc-Andrea Huesler, while Borna Coric takes on Corentin Moutet to kick off his campaign. Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Paris Masters Day 2 Predictions
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Tommy Paul
Head-to-head: Bautista Agut 3-0
After two consecutive first-round exits, Roberto Bautista Agut fended off any concerns regarding his form with a semifinal appearance in Basel. He leads the head-to-head against Tommy Paul 3-0, beating him 6-3 6-4 on three consecutive occasions in 2021. A slower indoor hard court like in Paris does give the American his best shot at Bautista Agut yet, but the 25-year-old would need to up his game after a couple of very unspectacular weeks.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: 1-1
Adrian Mannarino took Hubert Hurkacz out at the Australian Open this year and his flat hitting certainly doesn’t suit the Pole’s technique. The tenth seed is still theoretically in the ATP Finals race, but basically needs to win the title to get there. His serve should grant him a lot more free points indoors than in Melbourne and Hurkacz has done a fine job playing aggressively and approaching the net in his last few tournaments. It’s a tricky matchup and he needs to keep it up to win.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Karen Khachanov vs Marc-Andrea Huesler
Head-to-head: Khachanov 1-0
Marc-Andrea Huesler was brilliant in the opening round, giving virtually no rhythm to Jannik Sinner. Meanwhile, Karen Khachanov dropped just two games against the struggling Sebastian Baez. The Russian is the better player and the more reliable option, but playing someone like Huesler can be really tough. You know he’ll be dropping these lefty serve bombs and constantly keeping the points short. If the Swiss executes his game so well again, Khachanov will have a hard time here.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Corentin Moutet vs Borna Coric
Head-to-head: First meeting
Borna Coric is now a more complete player than before his shoulder injury, which also forced him to make some changes to his service motion. He’s managed to turn his delivery into a massive weapon and was getting so much for free in the matches against Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Vienna. However, a junkballer like Corentin Moutet could be tough to play in front of the Parisian (and partisan) crowd. Coric shouldn’t underestimate him.
Prediction: Coric in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
