Resurgent Jan-Lennard Struff holds slender edge over fitness-hit Arthur Gea in Paris
Match News & Form
Jan-Lennard Struff is doing his part superbly, playing to his potential and delivering excellent results, and he is being given the access to keep building on that momentum. After his run to the final in Brussels two weeks ago, he entered the Basel main draw as a special exempt, and his run to the semi-finals there has earned him another special exempt, this time into the main draw at the Paris Masters.
This excellent stretch on indoor hard courts has completely turned things around for the German, who looked lost earlier this year while fighting to save his top-100 status. He is now firmly on track to return to the top 30 and playing with plenty of confidence, as shown by his three-set win over Novak Djokovic in Basel last week, against a player he had never beaten in eight previous meetings.
Arthur Gea’s sensational rise this year has been slowed by fitness problems. He started the season ranked No. 241 and now sits at No. 44, but an injury forced him to retire early in his quarterfinal at the Shanghai Masters a few weeks ago. It is the second time this year that fitness issues have halted his momentum. A similar problem around May badly affected his performances and led to some poor losses at Challenger level. He recovered superbly from that setback, though, and he will be aiming for a similar recovery here, using the platform of a home Masters event to accelerate his progress.
Head-to-Head: 0-0
The pair have never met before.
Stats & Facts
This is Jan-Lennard Struff’s 10th appearance at the Paris Masters, and he has just six main-draw wins to his name.
Struff has 194 career wins on indoor hard courts and holds a strong 8-3 record on the surface this year.
Arthur Gea has won an impressive 32 of his 39 matches on hard courts this year, but only two of those wins have come indoors.
Gea made his Masters main-draw debut in Shanghai a few weeks ago and converted it into a quarterfinal run.
Betting Analysis
Just a few weeks ago, Arthur Gea would have been a big favourite in this matchup, as he was in terrific form while Jan-Lennard Struff was barely winning matches. In the space of a few weeks, though, things have changed dramatically. Gea’s recent fitness problems and Struff’s excellent run on indoor hard courts have shifted the dynamic, giving the German a slender edge heading into this battle.