ASB Classic 2020: Benoit Paire vs John Millman, match preview and prediction

Queenslander John Millman is enjoying a great summer on home soil, with his good form and confidence-building run at the ATP Cup helping him land a quarter-final place at the 2020 ASB Classic.

He's not done yet. Set to take on another big name in the form of his next opponent, Frenchman Benoit Paire. The two 30-year-ols will feature in Thursday's afternoon session in what promises to be an intriguing encounter.

With defeats for top seeds Fabio Fognini and Karen Khachanov, the top half of the draw has opened up and the duo will be hoping to capitalise on that to the best of their abilities.

Benoit Paire is the highest remaining seed in the top half of the draw.

Paire himself avoided an upset in the second round, coming from a set down to stage a comeback win against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro.

Add to that his inconsistent form at the ATP Cup that concluded last week and you would think the Frenchman is setting himself up for another upset defeat at some stage.

Well, it might as well come at the hands of Millman. He, unlike his opponent, has enjoyed quite a start to the year. He has big wins against the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Khachanov under his belt, currently performing well in his pursuit of a title here.

Millman has a solid backhand and is great defensively too.

Millman really is the type of player you would expect to take out an erratic opponent like Paire. Consistent from the baseline and solid defensively, he can easily frustrate the fifth seed into going for too much with his shots.

It's something we've seen on far too many occasions - Paire is very susceptible in those tricky situations. Should Millman push the Frenchman to his breaking point, he has a great chance to wrap this up in straight sets.

Prediction: Millman to win in three sets