Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will attempt to advance to the semifinals of the ATP Paris Masters as they face familiar foes on Friday at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy.
Rafael Nadal vs. Richard Gasquet
Nadal and Gasquet have battled each other many times dating back to their junior years. On Friday, the two former tennis prodigies face off again for a spot in the semis of the final ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year.
Nadal is coming off a 7-5, 6-4 win over Poland's Jerzy Janowicz, who came out of nowhere to reach the championship round last year. On the other hand, Gasquet cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Japanese tennis sensation Kei Nishikori to move on to the final eight round.
Prediction:
Gasquet has been playing fine tennis as of late, but Nadal is simply on another level. The Mallorcan Bull has been dominant on almost any surface this year and the indoors tournament is not an exception. Nadal wins in straight sets.
Roger Federer vs. Del Potro
Roger Federer, fresh from booking a spot in the ATP Tour World Finals, will try to keep moving deeper into the tournament as he takes on a familiar face in Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinal round.
The Federer express advanced to the final eight of the BNP Paribas Masters following his sensational 6-3, 6-4 victor over Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.
The win solidified Federer's spot in the year-ending Tour Finals after a miserable year of tennis. Nevertheless, the 17-time Grand Slam champion is out to give himself a chance of advancing to the semifinal round by defeating the man that edged him at Basel Open a week ago.
Del Potro, who defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a competitive three-set third round clash last Thursday, will have another shot at further enhancing his head-to-head record over Federer.
Federer holds a 13-5 head-to-head slate over the Argentine, but Del Potro has now won three straight in their match-up, including a 7-6(3) 2-6 6-4 victory to claim the Swiss Indoors tourney.
Prediction:
The latest meeting between Federer and Del Potro is expected to be another all-out tussle on the court. With Federer playing better tennis than he ever did this year, Del Potro is facing a stiff challenge in booking a spot in the ATP Paris Masters semis. This is going to be another three-set warfare, but in the end, Federer will take the win in another classic.
Live Stream & Schedule
Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro will kick off the double-header at 10:30 a.m EST while Rafael Nadal vs. Richard Gasquet is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m EST. Tennis Channel will provide TV coverage of the match while tennis fans can also watch games live online via ESPN Watch. Live Scores & Updates is available on ATP Paris Masters website.
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