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What the hell is Ugo Carabelli doing here? Come on, come over, I'll tell you...

The Argentine quite simply played his 14th match in a well-known matchup, the one against Etcheverry. He leveled it at 7-all by brilliantly neutralizing Etcheverry’s serve and forehand, and by pushing his opponent to overpress in the slowed conditions at the Défense Arena. Carabelli had already put together a solid full match in Vienna against Misolic, and perhaps confirms that his body can now hold up. And that’s just as well, because he’s about to face one of the big favorites for this tournament, the defending champion and recent Vienna finalist. In these conditions and with this form, it’s hard to see what the Argentine could really do. But I have to credit him with great mobility and the ability to make you move with his forehand. He’d struggle to pierce the German giant’s defense, but on the other hand, Zverev will have to create the play to get the win here. His strong confidence at the moment has him smiling in the corridors of the Rolex Paris Masters, and should help him let his forehand fly and come forward to the net. If, however, his price is really overcooked, there might be room for a small games over or a handicap when Carabelli manages to hold him and potentially push him in a set. The problem is the Argentine doesn’t have a dazzling serve and already had to fight through each of his service games against Etcheverry...