The seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Sherton get the Benton starts and will play their opening matches on Tuesday at the Paris Masters with Flavio Cobolli, respectively.
(1) Carlos Alcaraz vs Cameron Norrie
Alcaraz and Norrie have a surprisingly wide range of competitors as they prepare to add another one of their own at the rolex paris masters on Tuesday. The head-to-head series stands 5-2 in favor of Alcaraz, who recently rolled 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in the Wimbledon Quarterfinals this summer. Norrie’s wins have come at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters and the 2023 ATP 500 in Rio – both three-ball events.
This is ALCARAZ ALCARAZ’s second championship since he opened on the heels of the title in Tokyo, although he also participated in the laver enaver cup and the six kings. The 22-year-old Spaniard hasn’t been at his best on hard indoor courts this fall, so he’s not a complete lock to make a deep run in Paris. And Norrie is not an easy thing – especially not with the 31st-sistrid Brit used to the new playing conditions in LA to defend himself in a 6-3, 6-5 defeat of Sebastian Baez on Monday. Alcaraz should be able to get the job done with straight sets, but this can be more competitive than most expect.
Select: Alcaraz in 2
(5) Ben Shelton vs. Flavio Cobolli
It will be a throwback to the Toronto Masters meet when Shelton and Cobolli meet again on Tuesday. Shelton survived a fourth-and-a-half on the third straight on the way to his major title, after which there were several fiery exchanges with the net. The overall head-to-head series stands at 2-2, with Shelton leading the way on hard courts (all three of them outside). All four of their matches went to the final set.
More goodies should be on the cards. COBOLL is perhaps the underdog based on the institutions, but the 23-year-old Italian has been in good form and Sherton is on the way back from a shoulder injury suffered at the US open. The American seventh seed is 1-2 this fall, with straight losses to David Goffin in the second round and Janina MANAR in the second round. This is a great opportunity for Cobolli, who already has a win under his belt this week after crushing Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4 on Monday.
Pick: Cobolli at 3
