The final Masters event of the season kicks off on Monday in Paris with young French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard headlining the Day 1 schedule against Grigor Dimitrov. Alexander Bublik and Alexei Popyrin will also be in action.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Grigor Dimitrov
The last time Grigor Dimitrov played tennis, it was in July and he legitimately had Jannik Sinner on the ropes in the fourth round at Wimbledon. And by “on the ropes” I mean he was up two sets to none and on serve when he tore a pectoral muscle and hobbled off the court in tears. He missed the rest of the season…until this week.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has struggled with consistency in 2025. His results have swung wildly from excellent (he made three semifinals this season) to…not excellent (he has a losing record and crashed out in his first match a whopping 12 times). His post-U.S. Open performance has been an improvement, but Dimitrov is a tricky first opponent.
With Mpetshi Perricard playing at home and Dimitrov dealing with rust, I’m giving the nod to the Frenchman–with a footnote that if Dimitrov were to win on Monday, it would not qualify as an upset.
Cheryl pick: Mpetshi Perricard in 3
Ricky pick: Mpetshi Perricard in 2
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Alexander Bublik vs. Alexei Popyrin
This match has the potential to be the best on the docket in Paris on Monday. Alexander Bublik is playing the best tennis of his career–and it’s not close, either. He has four titles this season, one of which he picked up a few weeks ago in Hangzhou. He sits at a career-high ranking of 16th in the world, especially notable because he was ranked 82nd in March.
Alexei Popyrin hasn’t had the same kind of stellar season as his opponent, but what he does have are three wins over the Kazakh since 2018. Bublik’s single win over Popyrin came early this season on the clay courts of Madrid. There is nothing to suggest that Popyrin is in the kind of form necessary to dispatch Bublik, but he clearly knows how to push him. I think this one could go the distance.
Cheryl pick: Bublik in 3
Ricky pick: Bublik in 2
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