There was significant anticipation around Arthur Rinderknech’s participation at ATP Basel last week, as it would have been his first outing since his sensational run to the final at the Shanghai Masters. Questions remained about whether he could sustain that level of performance and form. Unfortunately, those answers did not come, as he chose to withdraw from the event, leaving the curiosity to be addressed at the Paris Masters this week.
The Frenchman has been one of the more competitive in-form players in the second half of the year, posting notable results such as a runner-up finish at Shanghai, a handful of top-20 wins, and recently making his top-30 debut. Despite these achievements, his season record still stands at the negative zone (31–32). To avoid leaving this blemish on an otherwise memorable year, he will need to secure some wins at the Paris Masters this week.
Rinderknech needed five attempts to open his account in the main draw of his home Masters event in Paris, having fallen in either the qualifiers or the first round four times between 2020 and 2023. He finally recorded his first main-draw win last year, receiving a retirement from Tomas Machac in the first round, defeating Alex Michelsen in the second, before losing a three-set battle to Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16.
Fabian Marozsan made a name for himself on the main tour with impressive results at the Masters level during his breakthrough season in 2023. Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate that success in Masters events so far in 2025. The Paris Masters presents a final opportunity for him to change that narrative and end the year with the satisfaction of achieving something notable on his favorite hunting ground, the Masters arena.
It must be said that he has put in solid preparation over the past few weeks to give himself the best chance of making an impact at the Paris Masters. He had managed only two quarterfinal results in the first eight months of the year, but he has achieved two more in his last three outings, in Beijing and Almaty. These results have helped him return to the top 50.
Head-to-head: Fabian Marozsan leads 1-0 (7-6, 6-2 at the Shanghai Masters 2023). A few weeks ago, Marozsan would have been the favorite in this matchup at a Masters event given his superior track record at this level. However, Arthur Rinderknech’s Shanghai run completely changes the dynamic, putting him in the driver’s seat as the favorite. It remains to be seen, though, whether he can handle the added pressure and expectations that come with that performance.