Day 4 of the ATP Paris Masters offers plenty of brilliant matches, with a number of the top stars on display. Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are both in action, who face some really tough opponents. We will be making our predictions here as well as in a separate article. So, who do you think makes the quarterfinals in Paris?
ATP Paris Day 4 Predictions
James Duckworth vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is rather surprisingly the first official meeting between the Aussies, though they have played twice at qualifying and Challenger level, where they are 1-1. It’s been another fantastic week for James Duckworth, who is comfortably having the best season of his career. Having clearly always had plenty of potential, it’s definitely satisfying to see this come to fruition. Big wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Lorenzo Musetti have earnt him the opportunity to reach the quarterfinals in Paris.
Alexei Popyrin continues to show that he’s got the potential for a great career. He was offered a reprieve as a lucky loser and took his opportunity with both hands, annihilating Alex De Minaur 6-0 6-3. He was rather fortunate to come up against an injured Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had to retire in the first set. This match should be very interesting. Duckworth is exceptionally solid and can grind out points so well from the back of the court, whereas Popyrin possesses more firepower and a better serve. I can see this going the distance, but Duckworth looks brilliant right now and it won’t be surprising to see him progress here.
Prediction: Duckworth in 3
Casper Ruud vs Marcos Giron
Head-to-head: First meeting
Casper Ruud is closing on a spot at the end of year finals. Given his fantastic form and improvements on hard courts, it’s more than deserved. The Norwegian was faced with a potentially difficult task in Bublik, but he came through very well with a 6-4 6-0 win. His presence on the baseline is a real strength, and his forehand can do serious damage. He’ll no doubt expect another big week from himself here.
Marcos Giron is also having a fantastic year, and his wins over Frances Tiafoe and Diego Schwartzman this week were superb. This is made even more impressive when factoring in that he’s also come through qualifying. His aggressive game from the baseline is rewarding him greatly, and when he’s on the attack he looks very dangerous. This is another match that should produce some real quality, with blistering forehands coming from both players regularly. I think Ruud’s quality and sturdiness right now gives him the edge here, and he should be able to counterpunch and out-wit Giron as the match goes on.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Alexander Zverev vs Grigor Dimitrov
Head-to-head: Zverev 2 -1 Dimitrov
Despite Zverev’s dreadful accusations of domestic violence off court, he is no doubt playing the best tennis of his career. It wasn’t an easy first match against Dusan Lajovic, and it appears Zverev is struggling slightly with an injury. Even if he can’t rally as well as normal, his serve can still save him easily. Whether or not this injury is serious, only time will tell. But for the time being, he’s still in with a shout of winning this tournament.
Grigor Dimitrov has had a wonderful burst of form recently, and has continued this (mostly) in Paris so far. Despite losing a set to Gasquet and Khachanov, he’s played some exquisite tennis in the sets he’s won. When the Bulgarian is in the zone, he is comfortably one of the most breath-taking players to watch on tour.
It’s certainly remarkable that these two haven’t played for five years, and it’s very tough to tell which way this will go. Zverev is a far better player now and Dimitrov has been in and out of form for years, though he’s playing great at the moment. Given Zverev’s injury and how well Dimitrov is performing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here. It could definitely go either way depending on how the German is physically, but Dimitrov may just take this.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Daniil Medvedev vs Sebastian Korda
Head-to-head: First meeting
This may be their first meeting, but we’ll no doubt be seeing these two face off much more as the years go on. Medvedev is very established now and is one of the dominant players in men’s tennis, and he’ll be eager to put away the talented youngster that is Korda. The Russian managed to blow a 5-1 lead in the first set against Ivashka, but managed to regain his composure and win fairly comfortably. He may not quite be at his US Open champion level, but he’s still pretty exceptional right now.
Korda came up with a fantastic win over recent St Petersburg champion Marin Cilic in straight sets. After securing a gritty win over Aslan Karatsev in the previous round, it appears that Korda has found his excellent form again. This, however, is a monumental task. Medvedev is the defending champion and the second best player in the world – he will be incredibly tough to beat. Korda has the tools from the back of the court to make this very competitive and cause the world #2 problems, but it’s tough to see him causing an upset or winning a set, unless Medvedev has a dip in his level or concentration.
Prediction: Medvedev in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
