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Rafael Nadal will start his campaign at the Paris Masters on Day 3 of the tournament. The Spaniard is competing in his first event since becoming a father and faces Tommy Paul in the second round.
A lot of big names will be in action on Wednesday, with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz facing Yoshihito Nishioka while Daniil Medvedev will be up against Alex de Minaur. The likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz will also play their respective second-round matches.
So without any further ado, let's take a look at the predictions of some of the big encounters on Day 2 of the Paris Masters:
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#1. Rafael Nadal vs Tommy Paul
Rafael Nadal will face Tommy Paul in the second round of the Paris Masters. The latter booked his place in the Round of 32 by beating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4.
Rafael Nadal has had a pretty good season so far and will be eager to win the Paris Masters for the first time in his career. The Spaniard has had a substantial break from tennis and will look to kickstart his campaign at the Masters 1000 tournament.
Paul has had some good moments this season, but he will have to bring in his A-game if he is to script a shock win over the World No. 2.
Rafael Nadal beat Tommy Paul 6-0, 7-6(5) at the Mexican Open in Acapulco earlier this year and he should be able to come out on top and book his place in the last 16 of the Paris Masters.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in straight sets.
#2. Daniil Medvedev vs Alex de Minaur
Last year's runner-up Daniil Medvedev will face Alex de Minaur in the second round of the Paris Masters. The Aussie beat Sebastian Korda 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to book his place in the second round.
Medvedev had a brilliant last week in Vienna, where he won his 15th ATP singles title at the Erste Bank Open. De Minaur, on the other hand, lost in the first round of the Swiss Indoors.
Medvedev leads 4-0 in the head-to-head with the Australian and should be able to defeat him for the fifth time on Wednesday.
Prediction: Daniil Medvedev to win in straight sets.
#3. Carlos Alcaraz vs Yoshihito Nishioka
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will start his campaign at the Paris Masters against Yoshihito Nishioka. The Japanese booked his place in the second round by beating Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4.
Alcaraz has had a dream season so far, winning the US Open and two Masters 1000 titles. These performances helped him reach the top of the ATP rankings.
Nishioka's season is nowhere near Alcaraz but he has produced some good performances, winning the Korea Open and reaching the final of the Citi Open.
The two players will lock horns for the first time and Alcaraz should have little trouble beating the Japanese and booking his place in the Round of 16 of the Paris Masters.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in straight sets.
#4. Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dan Evans
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will lock horns with Dan Evans in the second round of the Paris Masters. The Brit survived a scare against Brandon Nakashima in the first round, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Tsitsipas has had some good runs over the past few months, reaching the finals of the Cincinnati Masters, the Astana Open and the Stockholm Open.
Evans has also produced some impressive performances lately, reaching the semifinals of the Canadian Open and back-to-back quarterfinals at the European Open and the Erste Bank Open.
Tsitsipas has won all his past meetings against Evans and considering his form, he should be able to get the better of the Brit.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in three sets.
#5. Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Mikael Ymer
Sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Mikael Ymer in the second round of the Paris Masters. The Swede beat Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-4 in the first round.
The Canadian is on a 13-match winning streak, triumphing in three successive tournaments. Ymer managed to reach the semifinals of the Firenze Open and the quarterfinals of Stockholm, but he will be feeling the effects of his first-round match as well as the qualifiers.
Given his recent form, it's hard to see Auger-Aliassime not coming out on top.
Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in two sets.
#6. Frances Tiafoe vs Jack Draper
Frances Tiafoe and Jack Draper will face each other in the second round of the Paris Masters. The former beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4 in the first round while the latter defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4.
Draper is an up-and-coming young talent who reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open earlier this season. However, Tiafoe has looked in good nick these past couple of months, reaching the semifinals of the US Open while making it to the final of the Japan Open.
Expect the American to come out on top after a tightly-contested battle.
Prediction: Frances Tiafoe to win in three sets.
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