The Rolex Paris Masters continues at Paris La Défense Arena, hosting the world’s top ATP stars in one of the calendar’s final marquee events. Each round brings high stakes for contenders looking to snag valuable ranking points and secure a place at the upcoming ATP Finals. With proven stars and rising talents in action, the slate on Thursday, October 30 promises plenty of intrigue for tennis fans and bettors. Keep reading for some of my tennis best bets and predictions.
NOTE: Gill Alexander, host of A Numbers Game, posts a bunch of tennis plays to the VSiN picks page. He does a great job handicapping tennis. That page is also where I post all of my Challenger-level picks + plays for all of the tournaments I’m not writing up daily.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Alexander Zverev
Davidovich Fokina has played Zverev well recently. The Spaniard has won at least one set in each of their last three matches, with their most recent one being a battle he really should have won in Madrid. Zverev ended up earning a 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0) victory there, but that result should have Davidovich Fokina feeling pretty confident here.
These conditions should help Davidovich Fokina a little bit. While playing indoors generally makes things easier on the server, this tournament plays very slow. That should give the Spaniard a chance of getting into some of Zverev’s service games. The baseline battle should also be interesting, as Davidovich Fokina’s backhand is good enough to hold up against Zverev’s elite two-hander in backhand-to-backhand exchanges. And while neither one of these players has a great forehand, Davidovich Fokina might be able to do a little more damage from that wing. At the very least, the Spaniard will be more aggressive there.
Zverev also looked rather shaky in his win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli last round, winning 6-7 (5), 6-1, 7-5. If he shows up looking like that again, Davidovich Fokina will be very live to win this outright.
Bet: Davidovich Fokina +1.5 Sets (-137 – 1.5 units) & ML (+205 – 0.5 units)
Andrey Rublev vs. Ben Shelton
Shelton should also benefit from the slower court speeds in his match against Rublev. The American’s serve is always going to be a serious weapon, so he should get through his service games pretty easily. However, Rublev’s serve isn’t as good as it needs to be for him to stay near the top of the men’s game, and Shelton should be able to find some success as a returner here. Shelton’s athleticism should also help him in some longer rallies, as he has the wheels to track down some extra shots and force some bad misses out of Rublev.
Shelton also happened to beat Rublev on an indoor hard court in 2024, defeating him 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 in Basel last year. What’s interesting about that result is that Rublev is a worse player in 2025 than he was last year; Shelton is much better. Shelton is also playing to get into the ATP Finals, so there’s a little more for the American to play for. Normally, that might add some pressure for a player. But Shelton is pretty unflappable.
Bet: Shelton ML (-136)
Added Plays
I usually have A LOT MORE on the Pro Picks page. Those plays count towards my record and have been a big part of my success this season. Make sure you check them out. I’ll probably add a few more over there, so refresh that page throughout the day if you’re looking for action.
