The top half of the draw in Paris is wide open, and Alex de Minaur is among those looking to make a profit along with Alexander Bublik. In another quarter-final on Friday, Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Valentin Vacherot.
(13) Alexander Bublik vs. (6) Alex de Minaur
The history between De Minaur and Bublik could be thrown out the window ahead of their Rolex Paris Masters quarter-final on Friday. The Minaur won their first three encounters, but those came long before the current version of Bublik was seen. They have faced each other once this season, when Bublik improbably dug themselves out of a two-set hole to beat De Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 at Roland Garros.
That result was what really sparked Bublik’s surge, which is still ongoing to this day. The 16th-ranked Kazakh has won four ATP titles in the last four months and he has continued his torrid form with victories in Paris over Alexei Popyrin, Corentin Moutet and Taylor Fritz – all in straight sets. De Minaur has advanced with wins over Gabriel Diallo and Karen Khachanov, the latter of which clinched the Aussie’s sixth-place finish in the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday. That could take away some of the urgency, which might not be a good thing for De Minaur. Anyway, this match will undoubtedly take place on Bublik’s racket. De Minaur would need some help to get the win, and right now Bublik is not giving any opponents each staff.
Choice: Bublik in 3
(WC) Valentin Vacherot vs. (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime
As with Bublik, Vacherot’s rise is one of the stories of the year in the tennis world. For the 26-year-old from Monaco, it comes very quickly and out of nowhere. He captured the Shanghai title as a qualifier and has extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to a hard-to-believe twelve matches (two in qualifying) by beating Jiri Lehecka, Arthur Rinderknech and Cameron Norrie earlier this week.
Unfortunately for Vacherot, the level of competition will be even tougher on Friday. Lehecka appears to have mentally checked out for the 2025 season, while both Rinderknech and Norrie (who upset Carlos Alcaraz) were unseeded. Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, has been playing at top five level since the US Open and is an absolute force indoors. The 10th-ranked Canadian is just two wins away from reaching the Nitto ATP Finals rankings after knocking out Francisco Comesana, Alexandre Muller and Daniel Altmaier to reach the last eight in Paris. Look for Auger-Aliassime to get the most out of a competitive, high-quality encounter.
Choice: Auger-Aliassime in 2
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