Paris Day 1 Preview: Fritz's Turin Hopes On The Line
Paris Day 1 Preview: Fritz’s Turin Hopes On The Line
With the pressure on, Taylor Fritz will need to deliver on Day One at the Rolex Paris Masters if he is to keep alive his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.
The American arrives at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, holding 2,910 points. The 24-year-old is currently 525 points behind seventh-placed Andrey Rublev. The prestigious end-of-year event will be held from 13-20 November.
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Fritz’s first test in the French capital comes against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Monday on Court Central. However, the four-time tour-level titlist will need to do something he has never done and earn a maiden victory against the Spaniard, with Davidovich Fokina leading Fritz 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.
In the evening, Gilles Simon will receive a standing ovation when he steps on court in Paris for potentially the final time. The French wild card will play Andy Murray on Court Central in what could be his last tour-level match, with the 37-year-old retiring at the end of the season.
Simon, who earned his 500th tour-level win earlier this year at Roland Garros, will be making his 16th appearance on home soil, with his best result being a run to the semi-finals in 2012. The 2016 champion Murray leads Simon 16-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their first meeting coming in 2007.
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Other intriguing first-round matches Monday include 12th seed Cameron Norrie taking on Miomir Kecmanovic, while 11th seed Jannik Sinner faces Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler. Norrie, who has won two tour-level titles this season, leads the Serbian Kecmanovic 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.
#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti will compete at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in November. However, before he makes the journey to Milan, he will look to light up Paris, starting against 15th seed Marin Cilic. The Croatian Cilic has fond memories in the French capital, having advanced to the semi-finals in 2016.