Grigor Dimitrov will continue a late charge for Nitto ATP Finals qualification when he faces Karen Khachanov in the Paris quarterfinals on Friday. Ugo Humbert and Jordan Thompson will square off in a surprising matchup.
(8) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Karen Khachanov
Dimitrov and Khachanov will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Rolex Paris Masters on Friday. All four of their previous meetings have gone Dimitrov’s way, but two have required final sets and the other two featured a tiebreaker. They most recently faced each other earlier this season on the indoor hard courts of Marseille, where Dimitrov survived a 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(5) thriller.
Khachanov has been far from hopeless in this matchup and he certainly shouldn’t be in his fifth try against Dimitrov. The 21st-ranked Russian is absolutely on fire right now, with a title in Almaty, a runner-up performance in Vienna, and Paris victories over Christopher O’Connell, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Alexei Popyrin. Dimitrov is coming off extremely tough three-setters against both Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Arthur Rinderknech. This is a great opportunity for Khachanov; if he was going to run out of gas in Paris, it probably would have already happened.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
Jordan Thompson vs. (15) Ugo Humbert
It has been a decent tournament for the French contingent in front of the home fans, but only one representative remains. Humbert stayed alive in improbable fashion on Thursday, pulling off a huge 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 upset of Carlos Alcaraz. Thus continues a stellar 2024 campaign for Humbert that has propelled him to 18th in the rankings. He preceded Thursday’s victory with defeats of Brandon Nakashima and Marcos Giron while improving his record for the year to 37-23.
Up next for Humbert is a second encounter with Thompson, and their first one did not disappoint. They squared off this summer at the Cincinnati Masters, where the 28th-ranked Australian prevailed 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Thompson has benefited from a favorable draw in Paris, defeating Pedro Martinez, Capser Ruud, and Adrian Mannarino. The 30-year-old’s good fortune continues by getting to face Humbert instead of Alcaraz, but the former is no easy task–not in France and not with the left-hander’s game so effective on indoor hard courts.
Pick: Humbert in 3