Lorenzo Musetti vs. Luca Van Assche: Paris Masters Preview

Lorenzo Musetti and Luca Van Assche run it back in the Paris Masters round of 16 on Thursday, less than two weeks after Musetti beat the Frenchman in a three-hour, 33-minute quarterfinal in Lyon. Musetti went on to win that title, and he's carried it straight into Paris, where he just knocked out world No. 1 Alexander Zverev.

This is a big one for both. Musetti is the form player in his quarter of the draw. Van Assche is into the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career, and he gets to play it in front of a home crowd that just gave him a standing ovation.

Musetti's Week So Far

Musetti opened with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10) win over Hubert Hurkacz, then took out Zverev 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Wednesday in Zverev's first match as No. 1. He came back from 5-2 down in the first-set tiebreak and ran away with the second set.

The tournament's recap had him winning 79 percent of his first-serve points with 29 winners against just 12 unforced errors. "I'm shocked by the level I was able to produce today against Sascha," Musetti said.

Van Assche Survived on Grit

Van Assche, ranked 47th, beat 15th seed Learner Tien 7-6 (4), 6-4 by saving nine of the 10 break points he faced, per Tennis Majors. It flipped a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Tien in Vienna just last month. He closed it out with a 41-shot rally on match point, then collapsed to the court.

The 22-year-old won his first tour title in Estoril in July, on clay, and he's now won two straight in Paris after beating Mariano Navone in the first round.

The Lyon Rematch

Here's why this one could get long. In Lyon on Oct. 23, Musetti won 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, and the total points were almost even (126 to 122). Both guys won 66 percent of their first-serve points. The difference was Musetti's second serve. He won 63 percent of those points to Van Assche's 42.

That's the stat to watch again Thursday. Van Assche held up against Tien's pressure, but Musetti was aggressive on return against Zverev and broke him twice in the second set.

First serve is set for 5 a.m. PT on Court Central. The winner faces either Tomas Martin Etcheverry or qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the quarterfinals, so whoever gets through has a real look at a semifinal.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on total games. Their Lyon match went three sets and two tiebreaks, and both are coming off tight first sets in Paris.

Musetti's the favorite on form. Van Assche has the crowd and nothing to lose. Set an alarm for this one.