Jannik Sinner has been handed a nightmare draw for the final ATP 1000 Masters events of the season in Paris.
World No 1 Sinner is looking to end his stunning 2024 on a high after a year that saw him win his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open.
Yet he has been handed a daunting task in Paris, as his opening match in the tournament will be against big-hitting American Ben Shelton or Canadian indoor specialist Felix Auger-Aliassime.
opening match and may be in line to face France’s Ugo Humbert in front of his home Paris crowd in round three.
America’s Tommy Paul is also in Alcaraz’s section of the draw after his big win in an ATP 250 event in Sweden last week.
Norway’s Casper Ruud is chasing qualifying points for this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and he may need to get past Alcaraz to keep his hopes alive.
Sinner and Alcaraz are scheduled to meet in the Paris final, but there will be some mouthwatering matches to lap up before a final the tennis world will want to see.
Some ATP Masters tournaments have been spread over 10 days with 96 entrants this year, but that extended format has led to slow and uninspiring matches in the opening couple of rounds.
With this Paris Masters featuring a 64-player draw, we can look forward to some sensational head-t0-heads from day one
Shelton’s clash with Auger-Aliassime is a stand-out match in round one, along with Rune’s battle with Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
Draper has enjoyed a breakthrough year as he has burst into the top 20 of the ATP Rankings and made it through to the US
Open semi-finals last month.
Now he is looking to finish his season on a high and he will need to get past Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka in the first round in Paris, with US Open runner-up Fritz waiting in round two for the winner of that contest.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev could face 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in his opening match in Paris, with Frenchman Arthur Fils’ clash with the veteran Croatian Marin Cilic certain to be a big match for the home fans in France.
