The last Masters event of the season heats up in Paris with Jannik Sinner taking on American Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul battling Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday.
(4) Jannik Sinner vs. Mackenzie McDonald
Italy’s Jannik Sinner is the hottest player on tour as the 2023 season winds down. The world No. 4 won two titles since his round of 16 ouster at the U.S. Open in September. Sinner had a bit of a rest, as he benefitted from a first-round bye this week. Fatigue may well start to be a factor for Sinner, however. His wins in Beijing and again last week in Vienna pretty much guarantee that the Italian will run out of gas at some point at the Rolex Paris Masters.
The question is whether Mackenzie McDonald will be the player most able to take advantage or not. The world No. 42 hasn’t been playing all that well in the last few months of the season. He has not won more than two matches at a time since his third-round showing in Cincinnati this summer. The American defeated countryman J.J. Wolf to earn his spot in the second round.
While Sinner is likely to tap out somewhat early this week, it isn’t likely to come at the hands of McDonald just yet.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 2
Ricky pick: Sinner in 2
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(12) Tommy Paul vs. (Q) Botic van de Zandschulp
American Tommy Paul very nearly found himself out of the tournament in the first round. Richard Gasquet, the French veteran playing his the last professional tournament of his career, bageled Paul in the first set of their opening-round match and then lost an absolute heartbreaker third-set tiebreaker on a razor-thin Hawkeye call that went Paul’s way.
The American apologized to the Paris fans for the emotional win, but on Wednesday he’ll be back to work against the qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands. The good news for Paul is that the Dutchman isn’t likely to create an impassioned fan experience as Gasquet did. And while Van de Zandschulp has a 1-0 head-to-head lead over Paul, the world No. 60 is at a disadvantage on the indoor courts of Paris.
Expect the rankings to hold up this time. Paul should make his way into the third round.
Cheryl pick: Paul in 3
Ricky pick: Paul in 2
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