Paris Masters 2020: Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego
Date: 4 November 2020
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 7.3 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego preview
Alex de Minaur, who will be looking to end his season with a deep showing at the Rolex Paris Masters, takes on Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the second round on Wednesday.
De Minaur arrives in Paris on the back of a runner-up finish to Ugo Humbert in Antwerp a couple of weeks ago. The Australian was impressive throughout that tournament, registering wins over the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Feliciano Lopez.
De Minaur also took a significant step forward earlier in the year by reaching his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. However, he hasn't had a lot of success this year apart from the runs in Antwerp and New York.
In his first-round match against qualifier Stefano Travaglia, the World No. 25 broke serve in the last game of each set to clinch a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Lorenzo Sonego meanwhile has enjoyed a rich vein of form lately, turning around a dismal streak of 17 losses out of 20 matches leading up to the French Open. Sonego salvaged his year with a fourth round appearance at Roland Garros, but more was to come from the 25-year-old.
Sonego stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-1 at Vienna last week for the biggest win of his career. He went on to finish as the runner-up to World No. 8 Andrey Rublev at the ATP 500 event.
The Italian has picked up from where he left off, beating Alexander Bublik comfortably in the Paris Masters first round on Tuesday.
Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego head-to-head
The first round match in Paris will be the first-ever career meeting between Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Sonego, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Alex de Minaur vs Lorenzo Sonego prediction
Alex de Minaur has shown flashes of an aggressive game in 2020, in contrast to his ultra-defensive self earlier. While the 21-year old doesn't have enough raw power to hit through the court, he more than makes up for that with his ability to take the ball on the rise and surprise his opponents with clever shot selection.
Lorenzo Sonego is an aggressive player himself, with a heavy forehand and a precise serve. The Italian has been on point with the latter shot in particular of late; he won 80% of his first serve points against the world's best returner in Vienna, and followed it up with a serving clinic during his opener in Paris.
If De Minaur's return is not on the money, Sonego might find himself with an early advantage in their match-up on Wednesday.
Prediction: Lorenzo Sonego to win in three sets.