Novak Djokovic will go up against Marin Cilic in the Paris quarterfinals on Friday. A more unlikely showdown is an all-American affair between Jack Sock and John Isner, who won the Shanghai doubles title together.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (9) Marin Cilic
It will be a potential preview of a World Tour Finals matchup when Djokovic and Cilic collide in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Masters on Friday. Cilic became the seventh player in qualify for London when he defeated fellow contender David Goffin 6-3, 7-6(9) during third-round action on Thursday. The 10th-ranked Croat was almost an afterthought for the year-end championship prior to the hard-court summer, but he captured the Cincinnati title and also triumphed last week in Basel. Cilic preceded his win over Goffin by beating countryman Ivo Karlovic 7-6(7), 6-2.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is still in a race of his own–for the year-end No. 1 ranking. The Serb would lose that spot if he fails to reach the Paris final and Andy Murray wins the title, or if he falls to Cilic and Murray advances to the final. Djokovic has cooled off considerably since winning the French Open, but he has at least managed to scrape past Gilles Muller (6-3, 6-4) and Grigor Dimitrov (4-6, 6-2, 6-3) so far this week. The court surface is relatively slow, so the three-time defending champion should be able to force Cilic into plenty of extended baseline rallies–in which Djokovic will own a clear advantage.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
John Isner vs. Jack Sock
Fellow Americans, Davis Cup teammates, and recent Shanghai doubles champions will be facing each other on Friday, when Sock and Isner battle for a relatively surprising spot in the semis. Isner leads the head-to-head series 4-3, but Sock has won their last two encounters and three of their last four. They most recently met this spring on the red clay of Houston, where Sock advanced through a semifinal showdown via a 7-6(4), 6-3 decision. The world No. 24 prevailed by an almost identical 7-6(5), 6-3 scoreline last fall in Basel, which marked their only previous indoor contest.
A red-hot Sock has been picking up wins left and right in both singles and doubles. He reached the Shanghai quarters in addition to capturing the doubles title with Isner, and he finished runner-up to Juan Martin Del Potro in Basel. So far in Paris, Sock has taken out Philipp Kohlschreiber, Dominic Thiem, and Richard Gasquet. Isner has struggled this year and finds himself down at 27th in the rankings, but he is wrapping up 2016 with another stellar performance at what has to be considered one of his favorite non-U.S. tournaments. The 6’10” American is through to the quarterfinals for a third time (he went all the way to the semis in 2011) following defeats of Mischa Zverev, David Ferrer, and Jan-Lennard Struff. Isner should be able to serve his way to a set, but a clear edge in current form goes to Sock.
Pick: Sock in 3
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