Tommy Paul will get the night session treatment for his first match of the week at the Delray Beach ATP 250 on Friday. An interesting opening round schedule includes Brandon Nakashima vs. Marin Cilic.
Corentin Moutet vs. (5) Tommy Paul
Paul appears to be on his way back following an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. The 24th-ranked American has won seven matches this season, including a semifinal in Adelaide and a fourth-round performance at the Australian Open (lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz). Paul should be in line for another strong result in Delray Beach, where he finished second to Taylor Fritz in 2024 and has reached at least the quarterfinals in three straight trips.
The start of the fifth seed on Tuesday night is the second meeting with Moutet. Their only previous contest came at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Paul won 7-6(5), 6-3. It’s been an abbreviated season so far for Moutet, with nothing more than an Australian Open appearance (lost to Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in the third round). Although the 34th-ranked Frenchman is giving away some guys, his sweet style of play should not rule out a strong opponent for Paul.
Pick: Paul at 2
(7) Brandon Nakashima vs. Marin Cilic
Nakashima and Cilic will be facing each other for the second time in their careers on Tuesday. Their last meeting came two years ago in the semifinals in Hangzhou, with Cilic winning 6-4, 7-6(6).
That marked the start of a major injury comeback for the 2014 US Open champion, who continues to play well at the age of 37. A fourth-rounder at Wimbledon last summer, Cilic is 6-3 so far this season and exited in the semifinals in Dallas. Nakashima reached the finals in Brisbane last month but is 1-3 in his last four matches. In a match that is sure to be decided by the best of margins between two dominant servers, Cilic is more reliable as the more confident and stronger player.
Pick: Cilic at 3
