Multiple matchups repeatedly appear in the first round of the Paris Masters, with Shapovalov facing a revenge battle.

Time passes swiftly, and the last Masters event of the 2025 season—the Paris Masters—is about to kick off next week. Notably, a few pairs of players met just recently in this week’s tour competitions. Who are these players? What are the highlight matches in the opening round of the Paris Masters? Let this article guide you through them today.

For Brazilian player Fonseca, the 2025 season has been highly significant. In January, he won three consecutive matches in the Australian Open qualifiers, advancing to his first Grand Slam main draw. Then, in the first round of the Australian Open, Fonseca defeated Russian player Rublev, the ATP 500 king, earning his first Grand Slam victory. In February, he achieved a five-match winning streak at the Buenos Aires Open, capturing his first career tour title.

In the first round of the Paris Masters, Fonseca faces Canadian player Shapovalov. During the 2025 season, Shapovalov claimed two tour titles. This week, Fonseca and Shapovalov met in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 Basel Open, where Shapovalov retired while trailing significantly in the final set. Now, upon their rematch, will Shapovalov take revenge, or will Fonseca maintain his upper hand? Fans, what are your thoughts?

For Italian player Cobolli, 2025 has been a breakthrough year. Despite suffering a seven-match losing streak at the start of the season, he quietly persevered. From winning his first career tour title at the Bucharest Open in late March, to claiming his first ATP 500 title at the Hamburg Open in mid-May, and reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon, Cobolli has steadily made new career strides.

In the first round of the Paris Masters, his opponent is Czech player Machac. In 2025, Machac also captured his first career tour title at the ATP 250 Acapulco Open. Coincidentally, this week Cobolli defeated Machac in straight sets during the opening round of the ATP 500 Vienna Open. Personally, although Machac’s world ranking is slightly lower than Cobolli’s, his ability is not inferior. This match could very well see Machac seeking revenge.

Compared to Cobolli, Machac, Shapovalov, and Fonseca, Spanish player Fokina’s 2025 season has been somewhat unfortunate. He has reached four tour finals before but lost in all of them.

Fokina’s first-round opponent at the Paris Masters is French player Humbert. In 2025, Humbert has won a tour title. These two players just faced each other in the semifinals of the ATP 500 Basel Open, where Fokina emerged victorious. Since Humbert’s performance has often been below expectations this season, Fokina is likely to defeat him again and extend his winning streak against this opponent.

Besides these key matchups, the clashes between Australian player Popyrin and Kazakhstan’s Bublik, as well as between the Argentine Cerundolo brothers, are also worth watching. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)