Alexander Zverev bids for a sixth ATP 1000 quarter-final this season when he takes on home hope Arthur Fils in the Paris Masters third round on Thursday.
The German star got the better of Tallon Griekspoor in Wednesday's round-two match to set up a fourth ATP Tour encounter with the young Frenchman.
Match preview
Despite his winning streak against Griekspoor, Zverev was not expected to have it easy in his tournament opener.
The six-time Masters 1000 champion notched a 7-6(2), 6-3 triumph over the Dutch player to clinch a fifth consecutive victory over the 28-year-old.
While the previous two encounters went to deciders — five sets at Roland Garros and three in Shanghai — the world No. 3 capitalised on his single break opportunity and benefitted from his opponent failing to convert all three opportunities on his deliveries to advance to play Fils.
He enters the match against the home player keen to avenge his loss in their previous encounter in the Hamburg final which the French player took in three sets.
The 27-year-old has made it to five quarter-finals at ATP 1000 tournaments and aims to clinch a sixth at the expense of an opponent likely to have the crowd in his corner.
Although Fils has claimed back-to-back wins to progress to the third round, his performances have been far from convincing.
The 20-year-old has particularly been shaky on serve, getting broken twice by Marin Cilic in his tournament opener and giving away eight opportunities to Jan-Lennard Struff on Wednesday.
Zverev's elite level means Fils will not get away with playing slack tennis, but his experience of beating the German in Hamburg gives much-needed confidence ahead of another potential top-10 victory.
Beating the German in Hamburg was the Frenchman's fourth and has since added another against Taylor Fritz en route to claiming the title in Japan.
The 20-year-old's run to the third has outdone his previous round-one exits; now, he bids for a first Masters 1000 quarter-final against the top-3 player.
Tournament so far
Alexander Zverev:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(2) 6-3
Arthur Fils:
First round: vs. Marin Cilic 7-6(5) 6-4
Second round: vs. Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3 6-4
Head To Head
Hamburg (2024) - Final: Fils 6-3 3-6 7-6(1)
Halle (2024) - Quarter-final: Zverev 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4
Hamburg (2023) - Semi-final: Zverev 6-2 6-4
Having claimed the first two match-ups in their head-to-head, Zverev's advantage was halved after Fils' Hamburg victory.
The Frenchman bids for another triumph to clinch a sixth top-10 victory and to improve to 2-2 in their rivalry.
We say: Zverev to win in three sets
Motivated to avenge his defeat in Hamburg, Zverev will be looking to exploit any weaknesses in Fils' game. While the Frenchman has had a commendable season, his recent inconsistent performances could pave the way for the world No. 3's victory.
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