Pick of the Day: Grigor Dimitrov vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Paris

Grigor Dimitrov has been on a tear since the start of the Rolex Paris Masters, having earned wins over Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik and Hubert Hurkacz. The problem for Dimitrov is that he just so happens to be running into a player that is hotter than him right now: Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek star just followed up a straight-set win over Alexander Zverev with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals. The 25-year-old looks like he has completely recaptured the magic that got him up to No. 3 in the world back in 2021—which makes it hard to lay off him as a small betting favorite in his semifinal meeting with Dimitrov.

Tsitsipas has absolutely dominated Dimitrov in their head-to-head, going 6-1 in their seven tour-level matchups. That’s the type of thing that can be hard to overcome for the player on the wrong side of it, even though Dimitrov is playing with some real confidence right now.

This matchup is just one in which it’s hard to figure out how Dimitrov will consistently make Tsitsipas uncomfortable. The Bulgarian’s backhand slice is a shot that could help him get an edge in points, but Tsitsipas is wise enough to try and avoid that side of the court as much as possible. Tsitsipas has one of the best forehands on the planet, so he’ll try and go forehand to forehand as much as he can. And while Dimitrov is definitely a high-level server, Tsitsipas is one of the best servers on tour.

Tsitsipas is also just looking like he has new energy out there, so I’m excited about backing him again. This is a portion of the season in which a lot of players really start to slow down, but Tsitsipas looks like he is trying to end 2023 season on a high note.

Bet: Tsitsipas ML (-140)