Paris Masters draw sets up instant rematches and a possible Shanghai final replay
The last Masters 1000 of the season is starting on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz at Paris La Defense Arena, 2025 | © Federico Pestellini / PsNews
The draw for the season-ending Rolex Paris Masters was released Friday, immediately establishing a series of high-stakes and critical early-round tests that will define the final week of the ATP calendar. The tournament played at La Defense Arena, for the first time, is the last opportunity for players to secure ranking points before the ATP Finals in Turin.
The random nature of the draw has set up several direct sequels to matches played just days ago in Basel and Vienna, ensuring intense early-round competition:
- Davidovich Fokina vs. Humbert: The clash pits local favourite Ugo Humbert, runner-up in 2024, against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. This match serves as an immediate reprise of their tense semi-final of Saturday in Basel
- Shapovalov vs. Fonseca: Canadian Denis Shapovalov will face young Brazilian João Fonseca again. Their first-round contest here is a direct rematch of their quarterfinal encounter in Basel that ended in Shapovalov’s retirement.
- Cobolli vs. Macháč: The competitive rivalry between Italian Flavio Cobolli and Czech Tomáš Macháč will also be renewed in the first round, following their earlier match in Vienna this week.
- Adding further drama to the early rounds is the potential for a direct rematch between French hope Arthur Rinderknech and Monegasque Valentin Vacherot. The two could clash in the second round, less than a month after Vacherot defeated Rinderknech in a notable final in Shanghai.
This potential second-round encounter is contingent on Rinderknech overcoming Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan and Vacherot defeating Czech Jiri Lehecka in their respective opening matches. The winner of this section would then potentially face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16, who opens his campaign against the winner of the Cameron Norrie/Sebastian Baez first-round match.
Dimitrov’s comeback
Adding intrigue to the proceedings, former champion Grigor Dimitrov will make his return to the tour following a notable absence since his relirement at Wimbledon. The experienced Bulgarian will meet Frenchman and massive server Giovanni Mpetshi Péricard. A lot to think before going on the new betting sites that animate tennis fans.
Record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and two-time finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas are the most high-profile withdrawals, alongside Britain’s Jack Draper, who ended his season early due to an arm injury. He’ll be back at UTS London in December.
Furthermore, question marks hang over the fitness of players involved in this week’s retirements in Basel. Casper Ruud, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Ugo Humbert all exited the Swiss Indoors due to injury concerns, raising doubts about their readiness for the demanding Masters 1000 event.
Should the top seeds progress, the theoretical semifinals could feature World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz facing 7th seed Taylor Fritz, and top seed Jannik Sinner meeting 8th seed Alexander Zverev in the bottom half of the bracket.
