Paris SF previews and predictions: Sock vs. Benneteau, Isner vs. Krajinovic

One of the following four shocking developments is guaranteed to become a reality: John Isner will qualify for London, Jack Sock will qualify for London, Julien Benneteau will win the Paris title, or Jack Sock will win the Paris title. Things will begin to sort themselves out on Saturday.

(WC) Julien Benneteau vs. (16) Jack Sock

Sock is two wins away from an improbable berth in the World Tour Finals. Benneteau is two wins away from what would be a dramatic and long-awaited first career ATP title. One dream will come to an end when they square off in the semifinals of the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday. Their only previous encounter also came at a Masters 1000 event during the fall swing, as Benneteau prevailed 6-3, 6-4 three years ago in Shanghai. Nearing the conclusion of his career at 35 years old, Benneteau is ranked 83rd in the world and had been just 9-13 at the ATP level prior to his arrival in Paris. From completely out of nowhere, the wild-card entrant has pulled off upsets of Denis Shapovalov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin, and Marin Cilic.

He is the underdog once again, but not an especially big one against a fellow surprise semifinalist. Prior this week, Sock was a dreadful 13-16 in his last 29 matches after a blistering first three months of the season when he won 18 of his first 21 matches. The 22nd-ranked American has advanced in Paris by taking out Kyle Edmund, Lucas Pouille, and Fernando Verdasco. His run is even more stunning because he trailed Edmund 5-1 in the third set of their second-round tussle. This is a great opportunity for Benneteau’s ride to continue at the expense of an opponent who may not be quite 100 percent from a physical standpoint.

Pick: Benneteau in 3

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(Q) Filip Krajinovic vs. (9) John Isner

Like Sock, Isner will snag the eighth and final spot in London if he captures the Paris title. Juan Martin Del Potro found himself in an even better position on Friday, but Isner put an end to the Argentine’s year-end championship hopes with a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 victory. The 14th-ranked American preceded that result by winning three-setters against Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov–the latter via a 7-6(10), 5-7, 7-6(3) decision in which he saved a match point at 2-5 in the final set and broke for the first time all afternoon at 3-5. The 2016 runner-up of this tournament, Isner is 38-21 in 2017 with a pair of 250-point titles in Newport and Atlanta.

Up next for the No. 9 seed is a second career showdown against Krajinovic. Their only previous meeting came way back on the Challenger circuit in 2008, when Isner got the job done 6-2, 6-4 on the hard courts of Lubbock, Texas. Challengers are where Krajinovic has made his living this season, to the extent that he had won only a single ATP-level match prior to this week–and zero prior to a first-round Moscow victory a few weeks ago. The 77th-ranked Serb qualified for the Paris main draw and beat Yuichi Sugita, Sam Querrey, and Nicolas Mahut before getting a walkover from Sam Querrey. A well-rested Krajinovic has absolutely no pressure on him, but the story is much different for Isner–who has already played for more than seven and a half hours this week.