Second-round competitors on the Rolex Paris Masters continues on Wednesday, when seeds Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev are taking the court docket. Each gamers face a troublesome draw.
Listed here are my picks for 2 of Day 3’s greatest matchups.
Jack Draper vs. (5) Taylor FritzFritz didn’t should win a match in Paris earlier than clinching a spot within the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals. He clinched his spot when a every kind of different contenders equivalent to Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Frances Tiafoe, and Hubert Hurkacz misplaced on Tuesday. There was by no means any actual doubt that the sixth-ranked American would qualify, as he owns a 49-20 file this yr that’s highlighted by a runner-up displaying on the U.S. Open.
Up first for Fritz on Wednesday is Draper, who trails the head-to-head sequence 2-1. The British left-hander received their first matchup however Fritz has received each thus far in 2024; in a third-set tiebreaker in Munich and likewise in three units on the Paris Olympics (each on clay). An indoor exhausting court docket will give Draper a significantly better probability. He simply received an indoor title final week in Vienna, which has propelled him to a profession excessive of No. 15 within the rankings. With each guys enjoying nice, this may very well be the most effective matches of the complete event.
Decide: Fritz in 3
(3) Alexander Zverev vs. Tallon GriekspoorZverev and Griekspoor will probably be going through one another for the seventh time of their careers and for the fourth time this yr on Wednesday. Though Zverev leads the head-to-head sequence 5-1, all three of their 2024 conferences have been shut. The German obtained the job carried out 7-6(7), 6-2 in Indian Wells earlier than surviving in final-set tiebreakers on the French Open and on the Shanghai Masters.
These aggressive losses and his lone victory over Zverev having come indoors (in three units final season in Rotterdam) ought to give Griekspoor loads of confidence. The Dutchman is enjoying first rate tennis this fall, with a third-round effort in Shanghai and a semifinal efficiency in Stockholm. Zverev has not carried out something since shedding to Fritz within the U.S. Open quarters. The world No. 3 obtained upset by David Goffin on the Shanghai Masters and fell to Lorenzo Musetti in Vienna. It is a superb alternative for Griekspoor to drag off an upset.
Decide: Griekspoor in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You possibly can observe him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
