In a stacked bottom half of the Paris Masters draw, Jannik Sinner will bid for a semi-final spot over Ben Shelton on Friday. Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev will renew their extended rivalry.
(5) Ben Shelton vs. (2) Jannik Sinner
Sinner looked equally vulnerable in his third-round match at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday evening, clearly not feeling well in the first set against Francisco Cerundolo. Yet it seems nothing can stop the second-ranked Italian these days. He edged past Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 and is now 15-1 this fall (including two wins at the Six Kings Slam exhibition) with titles in Beijing and Vienna. Sinner preceded Thursday’s result with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Zizou Bergs.
Next up for the 24-year-old is one of his most famous foes on tour. Shelton won their first-ever encounter in a third-set tiebreaker at the Shanghai Masters, but he has now lost six in a row. They have faced each other twice this season, with Sinner winning 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-finals and 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4 in the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Shelton is looking like himself again after a shoulder injury at the US Open, as the seventh-ranked American ousted Flavio Cobolli and Andrey Rublev in straight sets earlier this week to clinch a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. Unlike Cerundolo, Shelton is able to take full advantage when his opponent is less than 100 percent. Assuming Sinner feels good, he will likely earn a seventh consecutive victory over the southpaw.
Choice: sinner in 2
(11) Daniil Medvedev vs. (3) Alexander Zverev
Zverev and Medvedev will face each other for the 22nd time in their careers on Friday. Medvedev is absolutely dominating what is one of the most prolific rivalries on the ATP Tour. The 29-year-old Russian leads the head-to-head series 14-7 and is 13-2 in their last 15 games, including 5-0 in their last five. Two of Medvedev’s victories have come in 2025; in three sets at the ATP 500 in Halle and 6-3, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of Beijing.
It’s pretty clear why this match is so terrible for Zverev. The third-ranked German likes to play long, passive rallies far behind the baseline, and no one is better at that than Medvedev. So Zverev has two options: lose again and again with these tactics, or leave his comfort zone and become aggressive, which usually leads to too many mistakes. With the 28-year-old still in good form and Medvedev in the midst of a bit of a resurgence, there is no reason to think anything will change in this Paris Masters clash.
Choice: Medvedev in 3
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