Taylor Fritz will get another shot at Novak Djokovic when the American tries to keep his Paris Masters run going on Friday. The quarterfinal lineup also includes a showdown between Turin participants Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Taylor Fritz
Djokovic and Fritz will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers and for the third time this season when they collide in the Rolex Paris Masters quarterfinals on Friday. Their most memorable match by a mile came at the Australian Open, where Djokovic was seemingly less than 100 percent physically but battled to a 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 victory. Due to Covid-19 protocols, fans were forced to leave in the middle of the fifth set. Fritz had a chance for revenge at the Rome Masters but lost 6-3, 7-6(5).
If there is a time for Fritz to finally get on the scoreboard in this matchup, it could be right now. The 26th-ranked American is playing the best tennis of his life, with a semifinal showing in Indian Wells, a runner-up performance in St. Petersburg, and now Paris wins over Lorenzo Sonego, Andrey Rublev, and Cameron Norrie. Djokovic had not played since the U.S. Open and he dropped a set before beating Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Tuesday. The top-seeded Serb then got a walkover from Gael Monfils. Djokovic could use some more match play in advance of the Nitto ATP Finals and he should improve with a round under his belt on the indoor hard courts of Paris.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
(6) Casper Ruud vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
It will be a potential Nitto ATP Finals preview when Zverev and Ruud go head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came earlier this year on the hard courts of Cincinnati, where Zverev cruised 6-1, 6-3.
Paris conditions are much better for Ruud, who clinched his spot in Turin earlier this week. The eighth-ranked Norwegian is an incredible 53-14 in 2021 following Paris victories over Alexander Bublik (6-4, 6-0) and Marcos Giron (6-2, 6-1). Zverev scraped past Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 7-6(5) before holding off Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-3 on Thursday. Ruud is in superior form in Paris and the court is almost playing like clay, so the upset alert should be sounded.
Pick: Ruud in 3
WWW?
Djokovic is closer to 35 than 34 so we will see if 2:0 is a formality (like it used to be) against younger players that are in the form of their career.
Zverev pretty good on clay also
But yes best chance for Ruud on slow court
Upset-false alarm
Joker in 2; Zv in 3.