Carlos Alcaraz (Image - Davis Cup)
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with the in-form Holger Rune in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters in what promises to be a riveting encounter.
The 19-year-old has lived up to his billing so far in the Paris Masters. After being ousted by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semis of the Basel Open, the young Spaniard has shown his class in Paris with two comprehensive victories.
The 2022 US Open champion squared off against Japanese No. 1 Yoshihito Nishioka in the round of 32 after receiving a first-round bye. Nishioka failed to answer the different questions asked by Alcaraz as the top seed hit 30 winners en route to winning the contest 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 12 minutes. Alcaraz managed to carry the momentum into his match in the round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian veteran was blown away 1-6, 3-6 by Alcaraz in 1 hour and 11 minutes. This is the first time Alcaraz has made it to the quarterfinals at the ATP 1000 event.
The Danish youngster has been in good form as of late. He came into the tournament on the back of a run to the finals in Basel and has continued in the same vein in the Paris Masters as well.
Rune began his campaign with a come-from-behind win against Stan Wawrinka. The 19-year-old saved three match points en route to winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). In the second round, Rune made light work of the tenth seed Hubert Hurkacz and won the match 7-5, 6-1. The red-hot Rune picked up another fine win in the round of 16 against Andrey Rublev. The match ended 6-4, 7-5 in favor of the world No. 18.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Alcaraz. He defeated Rune in straight sets in the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals in three sets.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.
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