A jam-packed slide for the third contest is set for Thursday in Paris, including a showdown between Ben Shelton and Andrey Rublev. Alexander Zvereev and Alejandro Damovich Fokina also worked.
(5) Ben Shelton vs. (12) Andrey Rublev
Shelton and RubleV will be going for the second time in their careers when they clash with the Rolex Paris Masters trio on Thursday. Their only previous meeting came on a hard indoor court, with Shelton winning 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 en route to the Basel Final in 2024.
Both of these guys could really use a deep run this week. Shelton made his way back from a shoulder injury based on the US open, and his game records when he came back The rublev had not won a single match since the US open (0-4) – His losses to the opponents were counted for 88, 25, 173 years, before ending the skid with paris defeats Jake Reberley and student Ten Tien. Unfortunately for the world No. 17, Shelton is a big step in the competition and the American shoulder seems to be right. Now that the fifth seed has shaken off a lot of rust, he should be able to secure a quarter-final spot in Paris.
Pick: Shelton in 3
(15) Alejandro Damovich Fokina vs (3) Alexander Zvereev
ZveriV is the defending champion at the paris masters; Danovich called – it’s broken I want his first ATP title after losing -one the last time last weekend. One player’s quest will end when they collide for the seventh time in their careers on Thursday. ZveriV leads the head-to-head series 5-1, but they have played three games since Germany last lost in straight sets – a stretch that included David Fokina’s victory for the Toronto Kings. ZverV recently scored a 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0) victory at the Madrid Masters this year.
More goodies should be on the cards. ZveriV is a big favorite, but he wanted a strong three-setter to get camilo ugo carabelli on Wednesday. Although Davidevich Fokina is playing well, fatigue must be a factor. The German runner who was ranked 15 was eliminated from Joao Fonseca this past week in Basel and used a lot of physical and emotional strength – especially the fans-6 (5), 6-4 defeat of France Cazaux on Wednesday. That was preceded by a straight-set win over Valentin Royer. In what could have been a spectacular basic fight in slow conditions, Davideovich FAKINA could run out of gas in the end.
Choose: zvereev in 3
