Paris Masters 2020: Borna Coric vs Jordan Thompson preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (15) Borna Coric vs Jordan Thompson
Date: 4 November 2
Tournament: Rolex Paris Masters 2020
Round: Round of 32 (Second round)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Indoor hardcourt
Prize money: €3,901,015
Match timing: Approx. 5 pm local time, 9.3 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six / Sony Liv
Borna Coric vs Jordan Thompson preview
23-year-old Borna Coric, a former junior World No. 1 who was touted to be the next big star in men's tennis, has taken some time to establish himself on the ATP Tour. Coric peaked at No. 12 a couple of years ago, but injuries and inconsistency during the week-in week-out grind of the tour have held him back from breaking into the top 10.
Coric is now ranked No. 24 in the world. His best results this year include his first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open, and a runner-up finish at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia earlier this month (where he lost to the red-hot Russian Andrey Rublev).
The 26-year-old Jordan Thompson meanwhile had a breakout season in 2018 where he reached eight finals on the ATP Challenger circuit, winning three of them. Thompson reached his first ATP final last year on grass at Rosmalen, and made the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time at this year's US Open.
The Aussie is now ranked No. 61 in the world, down from his peak of No. 43 last July.
Borna Coric vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head
Borna Coric and Jordan Thompson have met once at the ATP Tour level, with Coric leading the head-to-head 1-0.
Their match took place at the recent US Open, where Coric won in straight sets to end Thompson's best run at a Major thus far.
Borna Coric vs Jordan Thompson prediction
It's been a decent run for the Borna Coric since the return of the circuit; he has had some big weeks balanced by some early exits. At last week's Vienna event, Coric was beaten by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in two tight sets.
Jordan Thompson on the other hand has struggled to string together back-to-back wins since the tour resumption. He has a 3-6 record outside of his US Open run.
Both players scored straight-sets wins in the first round - Coric over Marton Fucsovics and Thompson over Federico Delbonis. Coric and Thompson play a similar game - neither overpowers their opponents with their serve or groundstrokes, and instead they prefer building rallies from the baseline.
But Coric is the more consistent player of the two, with a little more weight behind his shots and much more experience at the bigger stages.
Prediction: Borna Coric to win in straight sets.