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Paris Masters: last Frenchman in the draw, Van Assche faces Hijikata, the man who beat Djokovic
Rinky Hijikata considered pulling out on Wednesday morning with a stiff neck; that evening he knocked out Novak Djokovic. On Friday on Centre Court, Luca Van Assche, the last Frenchman in the Paris draw, plays his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, and the market makes him favourite.
by Camille Vasseur · 2 min read
On Wednesday at the Paris Masters, Rinky Hijikata considered withdrawing: a stiff neck had him in doubt until the morning. He played his second round anyway and came out with a win over Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, his first in three meetings with the Serb. The headline in L’Équipe celebrated his “cou” of the year, a pun on his sore neck rather than on a shot. On Thursday the 25-year-old Australian dropped the first set again before seeing off Tomas Martin Etcheverry 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours 06. Through qualifying, he is the first qualifier to reach the Paris quarter-finals since Hugo Gaston in 2021, and this is his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.
The last Frenchman sees off Musetti
Across the net, Luca Van Assche is the last Frenchman in the draw, 22 years old. He beat Mariano Navone 6-3, 7-5, Learner Tien 7-6, 6-4 saving nine break points, then Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours 38, avenging the Lyon defeat of two weeks earlier. “A year ago I was 200th in the world and now I am in the top 50”, he told Eurosport. He is guaranteed a place in the top 40 on Monday, and a win would make him the 12th Frenchman to reach the Paris semi-finals, according to RMC Sport.
A market hardening around Van Assche
The quarter-final is second on Centre Court on Friday, after Shelton-Paul, not before 3.30pm. On Friday morning a Van Assche win was priced at 1.60 with Betano, a Hijikata win at 2.52, up from 2.35 at the open: the market has hardened towards the Frenchman. Two numbers carry this match. Over his last ten matches Hijikata holds 83.5% of his service games, against 78.6% for Van Assche, but he comes out of five matches and 111 games in seven days, against three matches and 75 games for Van Assche, who plays in front of his home crowd.
I am not taking either man to win at these prices: the full reading of the match, conditions included, is in my preview of the quarter-final. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.