Friday provides all four quarterfinals from both the singles and doubles draws.
With his three-set victory over Jack Draper on Thursday, Alex de Minaur overtook Andrey Rublev for the eighth and final qualifying spot at the ATP Finals, which will take place in two weeks. And with a victory on Friday, the Aussie would surpass Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud, moving into sixth place in the Race to Turin. But he faces 2022 champion Holger Rune, who also clings to an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also still alive in the Race to Turin, though they will both need to win on Friday to stay in contention. Dimitrov plays 2018 champion Karen Khachanov, while Tsitsipas takes on the highest seed remaining in the draw, Alexander Zverev.
And it’s important to note that Ruud, de Minaur, Rublev, and Rune are all currently entered into 250-level events next week, so the ATP Finals field will likely not be fully set this week, though a deep run in Paris could guarantee a spot for de Minaur, Dimitrov, or Tsitsipas.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent match, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play gets underway at 2:00pm local time.
Holger Rune (13) vs. Alex de Minaur (9) – Not Before 3:30pm on Court Central
De Minaur’s win on Thursday was his 47th of the season, matching his career-best tally from 2022. And he’s achieved this despite a hip injury that impacted his play all summer, and forced him to withdraw from the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Alex is now vying for his second semifinal in as many weeks, after reaching the semis of Vienna a week ago.
Rune’s shocking and electrifying title run here two years ago seemed to signify his arrival as a top player on tour. But to be frank, that has not materialized across the last two seasons. The 21-year-old is yet to reach a Major semifinal, and failed to even achieve a Major quarterfinal in 2024. Holger also hasn’t won a title in over 18 months, and hasn’t advanced to a final since the first week of this year.
These players have split four previous meetings, with the first two going to Rune when he was peaking during the fall of 2022, but the last two going to de Minaur, both during 2023. And based on their form in 2024, I give the slight edge to the Aussie despite Holger’s prior success in Bercy. Plus, Alex has seemed inspired this week, rather than nerve-racked, by the opportunity to make his ATP Finals debut.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Alexander Zverev (3) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (10) – Both men won in three sets on Thursday: Zverev over France’s Arthur Fils, and Tsitsipas over Francisco Cerundolo. Stefanos has won 10 of 15 meetings with Sascha, though on hard courts, he only leads 5-4.
Jordan Thompson vs. Ugo Humbert (15) – This is the deepest run Thompson has ever made at a Masters 1,000 tournament, and he’ll debut inside the world’s top 25 on Monday. Humbert earned perhaps the biggest win of his career on Thursday night over Carlos Alcaraz, in a three-setter that thrilled the Parisian crowd. Their only prior encounter occurred this summer in Cincinnati, where Jordan outlasted Ugo in a third-set tiebreak.
Grigor Dimitrov (8) vs. Karen Khachanov – Dimitrov survived a third-set tiebreak in the last round against Arthur Rinderknech, though the match ended after 1:00am local time on Friday morning. Khachanov ousted Alexei Popyrin in straights during Thursday afternoon. Grigor is 4-0 against Karen, with all four matches having occurred on hard courts.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
