Paris R2 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Lopez, Medvedev vs. Anderson

An all-Spanish affair between Rafael Nadal and Feliciano Lopez headlines second-round action in Paris on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev kicks off his campaign against familiar foe Kevin Anderson.

(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Feliciano Lopez

Lopez will be trying to beat Nadal for the third time in a row when the two veteran Spaniards square off in round two of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday. Having previously lost four straight to his countryman, Lopez prevailed 6-3, 7-6(6) at the 2014 Shanghai Masters and 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) at the 2015 Cincinnati Masters. Nadal still leads the head-to-head series 9-4, and they have split a pair of indoor hard-court encounters.

More than five years since their last meeting, Lopez is now 39 but comes in at a decent 64th in the world. He can still excel indoors, on grass, or on other fast courts, and he fired 21 aces during a 7-6(11), 6-1 defeat of Filip Krajinovic on Monday. Nadal earned a first-round bye as the top seed, so this will be his first match since capturing a record-tying 20th Grand Slam title at the French Open. The world No. 2 may show some hard-court rust, but the more important fact is that he is well-rested and in much better physical shape than he normally is this time of year. That should see Nadal through to a hard-fought victory over a tough opponent.

Pick: Nadal in 2 with at least one tiebreaker

(SE) Kevin Anderson vs. (3) Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev and Anderson will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time in two weeks when they meet again on Wednesday. They just faced each other in Vienna, where Anderson pulled off a 6-4, 7-6(5) quarterfinal upset. However, the 34-year-old South African eventually retired with a back problem in the semis against Andrey Rublev. It was Anderson who benefited from a retirement on Tuesday, when lucky loser Laslo Djere called it quits before even completing one set.

In 2019, Mevedev rolled into Paris on a legendary streak of six consecutive final appearances. He promptly lost his opening match to Jeremy Chardy. This time around, the fifth-ranked Russian is a mere 3-5 in his last eight matches. The good news is that–like Nadal–Medvedev will have plenty left in the tank for Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Anderson’s physical state cannot be trusted right now, so the No. 3 seed should be able to get revenge.

Pick: Medvedev in 3