Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Sascha Zverev are all still contention for this title. Djokovic is a five-time champion in Bercy, and Medvedev defeated Zverev in last year’s final. Novak faces the new American No.1 Taylor Fritz, while Zverev takes on Casper Ruud, who just yesterday secured the seventh position for the ATP Finals. But the match the Parisians will care the most about is Medvedev against French qualifier Hugo Gaston, who stated on Thursday he owes his place in the quarterfinals to the crowd.
Friday’s other singles quarterfinal has ATP Finals implications, as Hubert Hurkacz would clinch the eighth spot with a win. A loss would leave the door open for Jannik Sinner or Cam Norrie to qualify if they were to enter the 250 event in Stockholm next week.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 2:00pm local time.
Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Hugo Gaston (Q) – Not Before 7:30pm on Court Central
Gaston is a Frenchman who loves playing in Paris. At last year’s Roland Garros, he delighted the audience by upsetting former champion Stan Wawrinka, before falling to Dominic Thiem in five sets. At this tournament, Hugo saved match points against Kevin Anderson in qualifying, one of four consecutive three-setters for Gaston. On Thursday, he was down in both sets to Carlos Alcaraz, even falling behind 0-5 in the second, yet managed to win in straight sets thanks to the vigor of the crowd. But he’ll need all of their energy again when playing the defending champion. Medvedev is now 50-6 on hard courts since last November. Gaston’s captivating lefty game, which includes plenty of drop shots, should make for some dynamic rallies when paired with Medvedev’s unique style. But it’s hard to imagine the 103rd-ranked player in the world upending the US Open champion, despite how involved the French crowd becomes.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Hubert Hurkacz (7) vs. James Duckworth – Prior to this week, Duckworth’s only wins at Masters 1000 events occurred on North American hard courts. But as per Tennis Abstract, he is 0-9 lifetime against the top 10, a group which now includes Hurkacz.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Taylor Fritz – These two played a bizarre match at this year’s Australian Open, which saw Djokovic suffer a mid-match injury, and the fans were cleared out of the arena before the conclusion due to curfew. Overall Novak leads Taylor 4-0, which also includes a tight straight-setter this year in Rome.
Sascha Zverev (4) vs. Casper Ruud (6) – Their only previous meeting was three months ago in Cincinnati, where Zverev easily prevailed 6-1, 6-3. Sascha has now won 27 of his last 29 matches, all on hard courts.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
