Day 2 at the ATP Rolex Paris Masters is stacked with 15 exciting matches. This article features the likes of Holger Rune, Alex de Minaur, and Matteo Berrettini. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for Day 2. But which players will advance to the next round?
ATP Paris Day 2 Predictions
Jack Draper vs Jiri Lehecka
Head-to-Head: Draper 0-1 Lehecka
Jack Draper played some of the best tennis of his life last week to win the title in Vienna. Draper has shown multiple times this year that he can be a force to be reckoned with when healthy. The same can be said about Jiri Lehecka, who looked injured in the final of Antwerp and was way off his game against Pedro Martinez last week in Basel. Lehecka won his first and only ATP title by beating Draper in the Adelaide final at the start of the year, but this time the Brit has the advantage and momentum.
Prediction: Draper in 2
Matteo Berrettini vs Alexei Popyrin
Head-to-Head: Berrettini 2-0 Popyrin
Matteo Berrettini returns to the Paris Masters after an absence of three years. He hasn’t made a deep run here in the last two appearances, and overcoming Alexei Popyrin will be a big challenge. Popyrin has cooled off a little after his excellent North American hard-court swing, but that was expected. He will look to finish the year on a high and has probably the best chance of beating Matteo Berrettini for the first time in his career. The Australian won just 59% of his first serve points against Jakub Mensik last week, but should have a better outcome against the Italian. I expect a close match with Popyrin prevailing.
Prediction: Popyrin in 3
Alex de Minaur vs Mariano Navone
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Last year’s quarterfinalist, Alex de Minaur will start his campaign against Mariano Navone in the first round. With all due respect to the Italian player, this is one of the easiest opening matches de Minaur could have asked for. The Australian needs a great week to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals and this should be a good match for him to ease his way into the tournament.
Prediction: de Minaur in 2
Holger Rune vs Matteo Arnaldi
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Holger Rune’s ranking has been on an upward trend, thanks to some consistent performances in recent weeks. He is back at the Paris Masters, a tournament where he won his biggest title with a fantastic run. Matteo Arnaldi is playing here for the first time and is not in great form. The Italian has lost close three-setters in his last two tournaments and I am less optimistic about his chances against a better fast-court player. I expect Rune’s fantastic record to continue in the neighbourhood of Bercy.
Prediction: Rune in 2
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
