Paris Masters 2023: Holger Rune vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Holger Rune vs (Q) Dominic Thiem
Date: November 1, 2023
Tournament: Paris Masters 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Accor Arena, Paris, France
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize money: €5,779,335
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime
Holger Rune vs Dominic Thiem preview
Defending champion Holger Rune will lock horns with Dominic Thiem in the second round of the 2023 Paris Masters on Wednesday.
After performing quite well for most of the season, Rune's form has take a hit over the past few months. He won the BMW Open in Munich and finished as the runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open. He also made the last eight at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Following his quarterfinal exit from Wimbledon, Rune won just one match until last week's Swiss Indoors in Basel. He made it to the semifinals there, but lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in a rematch of the previous year's final. As one of the top seeds in Paris, he received a first round bye.
Thiem began his journey in Paris in the qualifying rounds. He defeated Lorenzo Sonego in three sets and then notched up a straight sets win over Christopher O'Connell to make the main draw. He then faced fellow Major champion Stan Wawrinka in the first round.
Wawrinka bagged the first set courtesy of a single break of serve in his favor. Thiem jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but the Swiss managed to get back on level terms. The momentum swung in the Austrian's favor once again as he nabbed the next three games to take the set.
Wawrinka got the break in the third set to go 5-3 up and then served for the match. He even held a match point but Thiem staged a valiant effort to flip the script. He fended off the match point and reeled off the four games on the trot to complete a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 comeback win.
Holger Rune vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Rune leads Thiem 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters in straight sets.
Holger Rune vs Dominic Thiem odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Holger Rune vs Dominic Thiem prediction
Following months of underwhelming results, Rune enjoyed a positive outing in Basel last week. Whether that brilliance was a flash in the pan or not will now be put to the test.
Thiem's heroics against Wawrinka helped him score one of his most memorable wins in a long time. His shotmaking was reminiscent of his former peak self, especially towards the closing stages of the match. However, as the match concluded two hours after midnight, he's going to have little time to recover.
Thiem's heavy forehand worked wonders in the previous round and he hit some beautiful volleys too. If Rune's back to his best, he could brush aside the Austrian like he did in Monte Carlo, or else the latter's going to have the last laugh this time.
Pick: Holger Rune to win in three sets.