Paris Masters 2022: Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (6) Novak Djokovic.
Date: November 5, 2022.
Tournament: Paris Masters 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €5,415,410.
Match timing: Not before 4:30 pm local time, 3:30 pm GMT, 11:30 am ET and 9 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN & Sportsnet | UK - Amazon Prime.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas preview
Defending champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas are set for a semifinal showdown at the 2022 Paris Masters on Saturday.
After a first-round bye, Djokovic defeated Maxime Cressy and Karen Khachanov in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where Lorenzo Musetti awaited him. The Serb didn't put a foot wrong in the first set as he dished out a bagel to clinch it.
Musetti appeared to step up his game in the second set as he secured an early break to go 2-1 up. However, Djokovic bagged the next four games in a row to lead 5-2. The Italian held serve once more, following which the former World No. 1 closed out the proceedings to win 6-0, 6-3.
Djokovic has now extended his winning streak to win 12 matches, while reaching his seventh semifinal of the season.
Tsitsipas received a first-round bye as the fifth seed. He then defeated Dan Evans and Corentin Moutet to set up a quarterfinal date against Tommy Paul. The Greek was off to a rocky start as he needed to save four break points to hold serve in the very first game of the match. He turned things around rather quickly as he claimed two games to go 3-0 up.
Paul had another three break points in the fifth game to get back on serve, but let the opportunity slip from his fingers. After another couple of games, Tsitsipas broke his opponent's serve yet again to clinch the first set.
The duo remained quite solid on serve for most of the second set. With Paul serving to stay in the match at 5-4, Tsitsipas managed to break his serve quite easily to win the meeting 6-2, 6-4 and reach his 11th semifinal of the year.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas head-to-head
The two are familiar rivals, with Djokovic leading Tsitsipas 8-2 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at last month's Astana Open in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas prediction
Tsitsipas was quite solid on serve against Paul in the previous round. He frequently set up a good first shot following a strong serve, while also saving all seven break points he faced. The Greek's forehand also did plenty of damage, striking a total of 13 winners in the end.
Djokovic barely broke a sweat during his quarterfinal win over Musetti. He redirected the ball from one corner to the other with ease, often putting his opponent on the backfoot. There was hardly anything wrong with his performance, so the Greek will need to be at his best in the semifinals.
Their rivalry has become quite one-sided, with Djokovic their last seven matches. Their previous meeting took place in the final of the Astana Open last month, where Tsitsipas was unable to muster a single break point and was completely outplayed in every aspect. Considering the 21-time Major champion's current form, the Greek is likely to be on the receiving end of another beatdown.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.