Paris R2 previews and predictions: Medvedev vs. Popyrin, Zverev vs. Griekspoor

Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev will kick off their Paris campaigns as second-round action continues on Wednesday. Medvedev is going up against Alexei Popyrin, while Zverev faces familiar foe Tallon Griekspoor.

Alexei Popyrin vs. (4) Daniil Medvedev

Amazingly enough, Medvedev has not won a single title in 2024 with only two tournaments remaining in his season–the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals. Nonetheless, his year has actually been decent. The Russian is No. 5 in the world and qualified for the year-end championship with ease. Although Medvedev has cooled off a bit since reaching his two finals of the season at the Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters, he should like his chances in Paris. The 28-year-old lifted the trophy in 2020 and finished runner-up in 2021.

Up first for Medvedev on Wednesday is a fourth encounter with Popyrin, who trails the head-to-head series 3-0. They have not met since 2021, when Medvedev won a 7-6(3), 6-7(7), 6-4 thriller in Miami. Popyrin is wrapping up the best season of his career, headlined by a shocking Masters 1000 title in Montreal and a U.S. Open upset of Novak Djokovic. The 24th-ranked Australian continues to play well and defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-5, 7-6(2) in his Paris opener. This may not be entirely straightforward, but Medvedev has owned this matchup and generally plays well in the French capital.

Pick: Medvedev in 2

(3) Alexander Zverev vs. Tallon Griekspoor

Zverev and Griekspoor will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers and for the fourth time this season. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in Zverev’s favor, but all three of their 2024 contests have been competitive. Zverev prevailed 7-6(7), 6-2 at the Indian Wells Masters before surviving in final-set tiebreakers at both Roland Garros and the Shanghai Masters.

Those close losses and his lone win over Zverev having come indoors (4-6, 6-3, 6-4 last year in Rotterdam) should give Griekspoor plenty of confidence. The 39th-ranked Dutchman is playing decent tennis this fall, with a third-round performance in Shanghai and a semifinal result in Stockholm to his credit. Zverev has not done anything since losing to Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. The third-ranked German was upset by David Goffin in Shanghai and took a bad indoor hard-court loss to Lorenzo Musetti last week in Vienna. This is a good opportunity for Griekspoor to secure his second win in the matchup.

Pick: Griekspoor in 3