The top half of the Paris draw is wide open, and Alex de Minaur is among those looking to capitalize along with Alexander Bublik. Another quarterfinal contest on Friday pits Felix Auger-Aliassime against Valentin Vacherot.
(13) Alexander Bublik vs. (6) Alex de Minaur
The head-to-head history between De Minaur and Bublik can be thrown out the window in advance of their Rolex Paris Masters quarterfinal showdown on Friday. De Minaur won their first three meetings, but those came long before the current version of Bublik was on display. They have faced each other once this season, when Bublik improbably dug out of a two-set hole to stun De Minaur 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 at Roland Garros.
That result was the one that really touched off Bublik’s surge, which is still in progress to this day. The 16th-ranked Kazakh has won four ATP titles in the past four months and he has continued his scorching-hot form with Paris victories over Alexei Popyrin, Corentin Moutet, and Taylor Fritz–all in straight sets. De Minaur has advanced with wins over Gabriel Diallo and Karen Khachanov, the latter of which clinched the sixth-ranked Aussie’s spot in the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday. That could remove some of the urgency, which may not be a good thing for De Minaur. Regardless, this match is without question on Bublik’s racket. De Minaur would need some help to win it–and right now Bublik is not giving opponents any help.
Pick: Bublik in 3
(WC) Valentin Vacherot vs. (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Just like the case with Bublik, Vacherot’s rise has been one of the stories of the year in tennis. For the 26-year-old from Monaco, it has come in lightning-quick fashion and from completely out of nowhere. He captured the Shanghai title as a qualifier and has extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to a hard-to-believe 12 matches (two in qualifying) by beating Jiri Lehecka, Arthur Rinderknech, and Cameron Norrie earlier this week.
Unfortunately for Vacherot, the competition level gets even tougher on Friday. Lehecka appears to have mentally checked out on the 2025 season, while both Rinderknech and Norrie (who upset Carlos Alcaraz) were unseeded. Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, has been playing at a top-five level dating back to the U.S. Open and is an absolute force indoors. The 10th-ranked Canadian is just two wins away from moving into Nitto ATP Finals position after taking out Francisco Comesana, Alexandre Muller, and Daniel Altmaier to reach the last eight in Paris. Look for Auger-Aliassime to get the best of a competitive, high-quality encounter.
Pick: Auger-Aliassime in 2
