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The Rolex Paris Masters got off to a good start yesterday. Two matches went the distance with Feliciano Lopez coming from behind in a late evening thriller. But, on Day 2 we are going to concentrate on the home players, i.e., the Frenchmen. Yesterday only 2 of them were in action with Adrian Mannarino beating the other player, Humbert.
Today though, there are 6 French Players scheduled to play in a total of 5 matches. The day starts with Jeremy Chardy and finishes with Federer's Wimbledon conqueror Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. The second Frenchman in action will be Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
The flamboyant, white-haired Benoit Paire is also in action, after getting through to the main draw. At nearly the same time an all-French affair between Lucas Pouille and Gilles Simon will be taking place on the Centre Court.
Here is a look at all the matches with French interests in Day 2 of the Paris Masters:
#1 Jeremy Chardy v Fernando Verdasco
Jeremy Chardy does not have the best of records. After being ranked 25 when he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2013 his performance had slid down. He had exited a bunch of tournaments in the first and second round in subsequent years.
But, in 2018 Chardy has come back to the right track with an improved win-loss ratio to show. With a year-end ranking of 78 last year, this is an admirable return, giving him a boost up to 40.
Facing Fernando Verdasco isn't straightforward in most days and the kind of form he's in makes it tougher. But, the Frenchman will find solace in statistics as he has beaten the Spaniard in 3 out of their 4 encounters. Most recently he came out on top in the Cincinnati Masters earlier this year. However, considering both players' form Verdasco is likely to win this one.
Prediction - Fernando Verdasco to win in 3 sets.
#2 Pierre-Hugues Herbert v Mikhail Kukushkin
Pierre-Hugues Herbert has always been known as a doubles player in the circuit. But in the second half of 2017 he initiated a surge in his singles ranking, becoming No. 63 in August. From there his ranking has stabilized and he stands at 57th now. Herbert has been playing challengers & ATP 250 events largely and the Paris Masters will be his chance to announce himself as a singles player.
Mikhail Kukushkin has been a consistent player this year winning a decent amount of matches in the bigger tournaments. He had upset Chung in the US Open earlier and enjoyed a great run to the semifinals at Vienna.
That is why Pierre-Hugues must be at the top of his game today. They haven't played each other yet but Herbert should use his serve & volley to good effect and must be looking to capitalize on the Kazakhstani's average serve.
Prediction - Pierre-Hugues Herbert to win in 3 sets
#3 Gilles Simon v Lucas Pouille
Gilles Simon has had a rollercoaster ride in his career so far. He was ranked World No. 6 in 2009 but slid to 46 next year. Then came the comeback when he went up to No. 12 in 2011 and stood at 25 or more for the next 5 years, winning 12 titles along the way. Then came the drought again when Simon slid down to 89th place. In 2018 he's back at it yet again, with 2 titles and a rank of 31 to show.
On the other side is the much younger player, Lucas Pouille. He has been a regular at the tennis circuit since 2015. Earlier this year he achieved a career-high ranking of No. 10 but is currently placed at 32.
The Head to Head record between Simon and Pouille favours the former but them having just faced each other thrice, there isn't much to go by.
Prediction - Lucas Pouille to win in 3 sets.
#4 Benoit Paire v Marton Fucsovics
There won't be a shortage of flamboyance and showmanship when Benoit Paire faces Fucsovics couple of hours later. With one of them adapting an unorthodox style and the other, a powerful style of gameplay it will be a good contest.
2015 was a good year for Benoit Paire as he surged from No.120 to World No. 19 at the end of the year. But, his game has declined from that level since, with him currently ranked 56th. In head to heads between himself and Fucsovics both players have a win each. But, the Hungarian has won the most recent encounter earlier this year. Paire is second in terms of recent form as well.
But still, he's our backed player as he can target a relatively weak Fucsovics serve. If Benoit Paire could return slightly better than usual he has every chance of coming out on top.
Prediction - Benoit Paire to win in 3 sets.
#5 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga v Milos Raonic
The final match of the day will be between two struggling players in Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. The Frenchman from being ranked 5th in 2012 has slid outside the top 100. His game has really declined, with him beating Federer in Wimbledon being just faded memories of old. His opponents struggle though, have been in recent times. Raonic has suffered quite a few upsets, but just in the past few months.
A few years ago most of us expected Tsonga to be the competition to the elite players, but that hope has fizzled out since. However, with the trend of players in their 30s doing well all is not yet lost for him.
The match against Raonic is crucial for Jo-Wilfred Tsonga's comeback hopes. The Canadian has got the better of him in their last 3 encounters. But with the last meeting coming in 2016 and with Milos' vulnerability to upsets recently Tsonga has a fair chance.
Prediction - Jo-Wilfred Tsonga to win in 3 sets
