The Jannik Sinner train is still rolling at the Rolex Paris Masters. The world No. 4 held off a charge by American Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday to secure his spot in the round of 16. Sinner is on a late-season tear with tournament wins in Beijing (def. Daniil Medvedev) and Vienna (def. Medvedev again).
Waiting for him in the third round is the Aussie Alex de Minaur on Thursday evening. De Minaur has been a little off the boil since his round of 16 exit at the U.S. Open to Medvedev. The world No. 13 has not won more than two matches in a row all autumn. His most recent result was a meek 6-4, 6-3 loss at the hands of Tallon Griekspoor in Basel.
Perhaps worse news for de Minaur even than his current form is his 0-5 record over his upcoming opponent. That’s right; Sinner has won all five of his previous encounters with the Aussie. De Minaur’s brand of athletic, high percentage tennis doesn’t seem to bother Sinner much. The Italian has only ever dropped a single set to De Minaur.
There is the looming possibility that Sinner is going to run out of gas after all the tennis he has played recently, but it’s still hard to pick De Minaur given the obvious matchup issue.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 2
Ricky pick: Sinner in 2
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