Day 1 at the ATP Rolex Paris Masters will see exciting players step on the court, such as Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, French representative Quentin Halys, and Chinese youngster Juncheng Shang.
ATP Paris Day 1 Predictions
Jordan Thompson vs Pedro Martínez
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jordan Thompson arrives to this tournament in a weird spot, enjoying a career year but winning just one match in the last two months (and losing four) and withdrawing from Antwerp, where he was a seed. While there are questions surrounding how prepared will he be for this match, the Australian is the much better player on these courts, and if he is okay to go, he should easily dispatch a Pedro Martínez that does not enjoy indoor hard courts.
Prediction: Thompson in 2
Quentin Halys vs Francisco Cerundolo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Such a tough match to predict. Both men are very talented but struggle with consistency. Overall Cerundolo is the better player but these courts suit Halys’ playstyle, and he is French, which means he will enjoy a racous support from the crowd. While this should be very close, this could be a match where the fact that Halys has gone through qualifying can help him be more comfortable on court and rise to the occasion in front of his fellow countrymen.
Prediction: Halys in 3
Marcos Giron vs Juncheng Shang
Head-tohead: First meeting
These two arrive in extremely similar conditions, after surviving extremely tough matches in the last round of qualifying. Not only that, but both enjoy playing a very similar brand of tennis, grinding down their opponents with very flat strikes and seizing the opportunity to attack. This match will feature a plethora of long rallies, and whoever manages to come on top more often will win. Gitron’s serve is slightly better and he is the veteran, so that might be enough to barely edge it.
Prediction: Giron in 3
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Roberto Carballés Baena
Head-to-head: Tsitsipas 3-0 Carballés Baena
Tsitsipas has not enjoyed a good year for his standards out of that Monte Carlo title run, but he’s still one of the top fifteen players in the world, and while he might be far off his best on indoor hard courts, Carballés Baena is not the man capable of punishing his weaker backhand. The Greek has beaten the Spaniards all three times they’ve played, and all of those wins came on clay, Roberto’s best surface. It is hard to see how he gets his first win in this tournament.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 2
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
