Last week’s Erste Bank Open field was absolutely loaded. As for the Paris Masters this week? Not so much.
That’s not to say that the draw completely lacks star power, but it is rare for three of the top four players in the world are missing from a Masters 1000 event. Unable to add any ranking points as the defending champion, Novak Djokovic is resting up for the Nitto ATP Finals; Dominic Thiem suffered a foot injury in Vienna; Roger Federer is out for the year.
You can be almost sure that a first-time Paris champion will be crowned this coming Sunday. That’s because the only former winner of this tournament is…wait for it…Karen Khachanov.
Not even Rafael Nadal has ever lifted the trophy at Paris-Bercy, so this could be his best-ever opportunity as the only top four player in attendance. The Spaniard has issued walkovers in each of his past two appearances (2017 and 2019), so he has not completed a Paris tournament without injury since 2015 (lost to Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals). However, given how little tennis Nadal (and everyone else) has played in 2020, his physical state right now is far better than it usually is in November.
The top seed could face either David Goffin or Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarters prior to a potential semifinal showdown against Andrey Rublev. The on-fire Russian has already captured three 500-point tournaments this fall (Hamburg, St. Petersburg, and Vienna).
Among those in the bottom half of the bracket are Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, and Diego Schwartzman.
Quarterfinal predictions: Nadal over Carreno Busta, Rublev over Mannarino, Medvedev over Schwartzman, and Auger-Aliassime over Raonic
Semifinals: Nadal over Rublev and Medvedev over Auger-Aliassime
Final: Nadal over Medvedev
who ya got?
Zverev not even a quarterfinalist?
and what about Tsitsipas?
Yeah, I think Tsitsi gets through to the quarters. Don’t see FAA taking him out. Medvedev v Tsitsi? Dunno. Meddy hasn’t had a great year and Tsitsi’s been doing well, more or less.
I’m staying with the hot hand….Rublev!
Rublev has to beat Evans and Zverev- poor h2h – he’s never even won a set against Sasha
I’m too stressed to have even half my mind right now, but that Humbert win was terribly shaky today. Both times Ruud and Humbert have played in the past it went 3 sets, it should not have made me sick. Tennis can’t even take my mind off my election nerves. I’ll need to admit myself to a nice rehab soon at this rate.
I didn’t pick Rublev deep – maybe one match.
Who have you picked Jalep to win it all ?
Rublev against Zverev would probably be rigged, as I suspect it happened with Medvedev against Zverev at ATP finals 2019.