The Paris Masters heats up with resurgent Russian Daniil Medvedev taking on Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik is battling France’s own Corentin Moutet on Wednesday.
(11) Daniil Medvedev vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov has been running into Daniil Medvedev since 2017. It hasn’t been a kind matchup for the Bulgarian, as Medvedev is 8-3 against Dimitrov. The world No. 38 has been out since July, when he tore a pectoral muscle in the round of 16 at Wimbledon. Dimitrov played well in his first round against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, but he will face an in-form Medvedev on Wednesday.
Medvedev has finally found his game after months of drought. He had a successful Asian swing after crashing out of the U.S. Open in the first round. The Russian posted an impressive and comprehensive win over tough opponent Jaume Munar in his opener this week and he is well-positioned to make his way to the business end of this event.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 2
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2
(13) Alexander Bublik vs. Corentin Moutet
For all the other great matches happening around the grounds at the Paris Masters, there is perhaps none more compelling than the second-round showdown between Alexander Bublik and Corentin Moutet. This is because the last time they played each other earlier this year at the Phoenix Challenger, Bublik offered to “step outside and fight” following a tense handshake at the net.
Chair umpire Marta Mrozinska and supervisor Jaime Chavez came out on court in attempt to diffuse the situation. Even if they didn’t come to blows, eyes will definitely be on this match tomorrow. Moutet is playing in front of the home crowd, while Bublik is playing the best tennis of his career–by some margin, too. This one should go to Bublik. The question is whether it will be with or without fireworks. Fans will surely be looking for a reason to turn against Bublik, so grab your popcorn.
Cheryl pick: Bublik in 2
Ricky pick: Bublik in 2
WWW?
I’d be surprised if Moutet doesn’t take at least a set against Bublik, if not win outright, especially with the partisan crowd behind him. And it’s their 4th match, surely Moutet is going to win one at some point.
Bublik is more likely to lose it than Moutet to win .
Grigor OUT
This match will favor power vs finesse. Both combatants have equal finesse shots, (slight edge to Moutet) but Bublik serve and heavier ground strokes should win the match. The outlier is the crowd distractions which could derail Bublik to lose a set, but not the match. 7-6 4-6 6-4 Bublik. Popcorn match.
It certainly was .Box office.