The last ATP Masters 1000 event of 2024 is underway in Paris, featuring nearly all of the top men in the world.
The singles draw in Paris originally featured 16 of the top 17 ATP players, with the notable exception of seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who won this tournament a year ago. But then on Tuesday, World No.1 Jannik Sinner pulled out of the event due to illness.
With the ATP Finals less than two weeks away, there’s a lot still to be decided. As of now, only five players have officially qualified (Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Medvedev, Fritz). So deep runs this week in Paris could have a significant impact on the ATP Finals field, which currently sees Djokovic, Ruud, and Rublev holding the last three qualifying spots.
Wednesday’s play features the conclusion of second round action, with most of the top eight seeds playing their first matches, after receiving byes in the first round. Plus, 21-year-old French phenom Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, a champion just a few days ago in Basel, takes on recent Vienna runner-up Karen Khachanov.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent match, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (WC) vs. Karen Khachanov – Third on Court Central
Mpetshi Perricard seemingly came out of nowhere this year to become a formidable force on tour. The 21-year-old Frenchman started 2024 ranked outside the top 200, but thanks to his huge first and second serves, he’s about to debut inside the top 30. Less than six months ago, in just his third tour-level event, Giovanni became a first-time ATP champion in his home country, even saving a championship point in Lyon. He would then reach the second week of Wimbledon, and just a week ago, claimed his first 500-level ATP title in Basel, where he defeated three top 25 players (Auger-Aliassime, Rune, Shelton). Dating back to last week, Mpetshi Perricard has now held his serve for 80 consecutive service games, which helped him take out Frances Tiafoe in three sets on Tuesday.
But Khachanov is another of the ATP’s hottest players. Across the last two weeks, he accumulated a record of 8-1, winning the title in Almaty, and losing the final in Vienna to Jack Draper. And one of Karen’s career highlights came at this event, where he was champion back in 2018, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final.
However, in their first career meeting on Wednesday, I favor the serving prowess of Mpetshi Perricard to enable the Frenchman to continue his winning streak. The home crowd will certainly inspire his play, and the fast-playing courts in Bercy make his serve even more challenging to break.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Alexei Popyrin vs. Daniil Medvedev (4) – Popyrin was the surprise champion this summer in Canada, and defeated Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday. It’s been a peculiar year for Medvedev, who hasn’t won a title since May of last year, and hasn’t even reached a final since Indian Wells in March of this year. Daniil is 3-0 against Alexei, though they haven’t played in over three years.
Alex de Minaur (9) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic (LL) – De Minaur is just two wins away from surpassing Andrey Rublev for the eighth ATP Finals qualifying spot, as Rublev has already lost this week in Paris. The Aussie split two meetings with Kecmanovic five years ago, and the winner will face either Jack Draper or Taylor Fritz.
Jack Draper vs. Taylor Fritz (5) – Draper is coming off the biggest title of his career this past Sunday in Vienna, and now sits at a career-high ranking of No.15. He comfortably eliminated Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday. Newly-bleach-blonde Fritz officially qualified for the ATP Finals as of Tuesday, though he hasn’t played a match in nearly a month, when he was a semifinalist in Shanghai. Taylor is 2-1 against Jack, but they’ve never before met on a hard court.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
