Novak Djokovic vs Rinky Hijikata Prediction, ATP Paris Day 3 Betting Tips

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Day three at the ATP Paris Masters brings us the second round, and things are already shaping up to be a compelling week of indoor hard court tennis. The conditions here are suiting aggressive ball strikers, with the quick surface rewarding flat, clean hitting rather than anything too elaborate. We have got some genuinely interesting matchups to get through today, including Alexander Zverev against Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev taking on Ignacio Buse. Here is how I see the day playing out.

Alex Molcan vs Taylor Fritz

Fritz leads their head to head at one win to none, and nothing about this matchup suggests that record is about to change. Molcan deserves credit for getting here at all. He had to fight through qualifying and then grind out a three set win in the first round against a wildcard, so the Slovak is clearly showing some decent grit this week. That said, he has now run into a serious problem in the form of Taylor Fritz, who is one of the most dangerous players on this surface on the entire tour.

Fritz had to dig himself out of a hole in his opener, dropping the first set before turning things around, but that actually works in his favour here. He has now felt the courts, found his rhythm and understands exactly what Paris is asking of him this week. Molcan will try to drag him into long baseline exchanges and test his legs, but Fritz has the serve and the firepower to cut those rallies short before they become a problem. The American’s flat, heavy groundstrokes are made for this surface and I cannot see Molcan living with him for long.

Tommy Paul vs Daniel Merida

These two have not met before, so there is no head to head history to lean on, but the context here is fairly straightforward. Paul came into the tournament in excellent nick, putting away Holger Rune in straight sets in his first round match. That is not a small thing. Rune is a tricky customer indoors and Paul handled him without much fuss, which tells you he is moving and striking the ball well right now.

Merida is a solid baseliner who has had a decent enough season, but Paul simply has more weapons at his disposal here. His serve is the bigger of the two, his variety is better, and he is more naturally suited to the pace of this surface. Both players are going to look to work from the baseline, but Paul is better equipped to dictate those exchanges and find the angles that open up the court. I expect him to come through this one comfortably and move into the third round.

Novak Djokovic vs Rinky Hijikata

Djokovic leads their head to head at two wins to none, and while the Serb was far from at his best in round one, scrapping past Valentin Vacherot after losing the opening set, he is still through and that is what matters. Hijikata, on the other hand, has been one of the stories of the tournament so far. The Australian came through qualifying and has not dropped a set in three matches, which is a genuinely impressive run of form that should not be dismissed entirely.

The problem for Hijikata is that the stylistic matchup here suits Djokovic very well. Novak is the superior server, the stronger defender and the better ball striker from the back of the court. Even carrying some fatigue from a draining first round match, the gap in class between these two is simply too wide for Hijikata to bridge. The young Australian will compete and make Djokovic work, but the outcome feels fairly inevitable once you strip everything back.

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