Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Paris Masters match.
The upcoming match at the Paris Masters between Casper Ruud and Jordan Thompson draws special attention due to their recent series of meetings: the Australian has twice defeated the Norwegian on fast courts without dropping a set. This time, the match will be played on indoor hard courts, which could benefit Thompson, who excels on speedy surfaces.
Casper Ruud
Ruud is finishing a decent season with a 49-22 record, currently ranked eighth in the world. He has consistently performed well on clay, but his results on fast surfaces, particularly indoors, are below average (45-37). In recent matches, Ruud has also shown a decline, losing seven of nine encounters, including unexpected defeats to Aleksandar Vukic (4:6, 4:6) and Henrique Rocha (3:6, 4:6).
Jordan Thompson
In contrast, Jordan Thompson is having the best season of his career with a 33-23 record, climbing to 29th in the world rankings. Thompson consistently performs well on hard courts and recently, after a long break, confidently defeated Pedro Martinez (6:4, 6:4), demonstrating a high break-point conversion rate and steady play with minimal errors. The head-to-head history shows that Thompson frequently troubles Ruud on fast courts, having defeated him twice this year: in Los Cabos and Tokyo (6:3, 7:6; 7:6, 6:1). This underscores the potential difficulties Ruud might face against the Australian on quick surfaces.
Casper Ruud vs Jordan Thompson Prediction
Considering Thompson's strong results on fast surfaces and his ability to take sets against tough opponents, the safer bet is on Thompson with a handicap (+1.5). Ruud struggles to maintain consistency on this surface, and previous meetings indicate that Thompson has a strong chance of success in this match.
