Alex de Minaur will take on an in-form Jack Draper in Paris as he eyes a spot in his first Nitto ATP Finals. Alexander Zverev will be in Thursday action against Arthur Fils, with places in the quarterfinals at stake.
(3) Alexander Zverev vs. Arthur Fils
Germany’s Alexander Zverev has already secured his spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. It will be his seventh appearance at the event, which he won in 2018 and again in 2021. He has a single title in 2024, nabbing the Rome Masters before making his way to the final of the French Open–where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. He hasn’t had spectacular results since the U.S. Open, including a surprising loss to world No. 66 David Goffin at the Shanghai Masters.
Arthur Fils has a win over Zverev this year. The two men have met twice in 2024, first in Halle–where Zverev won in three tight sets–and then in the Hamburg final which Fils took. With the popular French player playing at home and FIls coming in off an excellent performance in Basel, this is officially a match to keep an eye on for a possible upset. That combined with Zverev having already secured his spot in Turin in September makes this is a winnable match for the underdog.
Cheryl pick:Fils in 3
Ricky pick: Fils in 3
(9) Alex de Minaur vs. Jack Draper
Great Britain’s Jack Draper is ranked a career-high 15th in the world, due in part on the strength of his victory last week in Vienna. The 22-year-old also got his first ever win over Thursday opponent Alex de Minaur at the U.S. Open last month after losing their three previous meetings. Of the matches on the docket on Thursday, this might be the cream of the crop.
De Minaur will be playing with plenty of extra motivation, as he is one win away from overtaking Andrey Rublev in the race to the Nitto ATP Finals. He also has the benefit of playing a possibly fatigued Draper, who came straight to Paris after his run to the title in Vienna last week. Of course, there is also the fact that Draper is simply in better form right now.
Look for this to be a tight one, with De Minaur just edging out the win. Of course, it won’t be a shock either way.
Cheryl pick: De Minaur in 3
Ricky pick: De Minaur in 3
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