Paris is under lockdown due to the pandemic, so this tournament in the neighborhood of Bercy will take place behind closed doors.
With the ATP Finals just 13 days away, five of the seven men who have already qualified for London will be in action this week. Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and US Open champion Dominic Thiem are sitting this event out, but Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal headlines the field at one of the two Masters tournaments he’s never won.
Diego Schwartzman has a sizable rankings point lead in the race for the final qualifying spot in London, with the ATP 250 event next week in Sofia being the only other remaining tournament. His closest competition is Matteo Berrettini (410 points behind), David Goffin (730 points behind), and Pablo Carreno Busta (885 points behind). Schwartzman can clinch his ATP Finals debut this week in Bercy.
Each day this week, we’ll take an in-depth look at the most intriguing match on the schedule, while highlighting what else to keep an eye on that day.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (14) vs. Marin Cilic
The 2014 US Open champion comfortably claimed their only previous meeting, last summer on an outdoor hard court in Washington. But Cilic’s results have continually declined over the last few seasons. The 32-year-old is currently ranked outside the top 40, his lowest ranking in over seven years. Marin hasn’t reached or won a final since June of 2018. By contrast, his 20-year-old opponent is on the upswing. The Canadian advanced to the second week of a Major for the first time at this year’s US Open. And Auger-Aliassume has reached six ATP finals over the last two seasons, though he’s yet to win a set in one of those championship matches. This will be Felix’s debut at the Paris Masters, while Cilic has achieved the quarterfinals or better here three out of the last four years. But since the tour restart, Marin has a losing record, and is 1-2 on indoor hard courts. Auger-Aliassime earned five wins during the two back-to-back events held in Cologne last month, with his only losses at the hands of top 10 opposition. Felix will be the more confident player today, and the fast-playing indoor surface will make his powerful first serve and groundstrokes even more effective. He should be favored to win his first match in Bercy.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
2018 champion Karen Khachanov (11) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Q), a 21-year-old Spaniard who advanced to the fourth round of the US Open and the semifinals of Cologne 1.
Pablo Carreno Busta (9) vs. Hugo Gaston (WC), the 20-year-old Frenchman who thrilled the Paris crowd at Roland Garros with entertaining five-setters against Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem.
Casper Ruud vs. Ugo Humbert. 21-year-old Ruud was one of 2020’s best clay court competitors, but has a losing record this year on hard courts. The 22-year-old Frenchman earned his first two ATP titles this season on hard courts, including two weeks ago in Antwerp.
Full order of play is here.
