With the Autumn’s Asian swing now well-underway, the ATP tour heads to Beijing for the China Open and we here at LWOT will be offering predictions all week. A number of stars have made the trip to the Chinese capital and a thrilling week of tennis should be in store. But who will advance on day one?
China Open Day One Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Andrey Rublev
Head-to-head: Dimitrov 2-1 Rublev
Grigor Dimitrov has struggled through much of the season. Wins were few and far between and his ranking plummeted outside the top 70 as a result. However, at the US Open, the Bulgarian showcased his best tennis, reaching the semifinals in a run that included a five-set win over Roger Federer in the last eight. Dimitrov will be hoping that he can maintain that level over the remaining weeks of the season, although he started his Asian swing off with a quarterfinal loss to Alexander Bublik in Chengdu.
Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, has seen a succession of injury problems disrupt what would otherwise have been an extraordinarily promising career. Nonetheless, he has played some fine tennis this year, reaching the final of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg, the semifinals in Cincinnati, where he beat Federer, and the fourth round of the US Open. This promises to be a close match, but Rublev’s big groundstrokes should allow him to overpower the Bulgarian from the baseline.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
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Frances Tiafoe vs Alexander Zverev
Head-to-head: Zverev 4-1 Tiafoe
This is a match between two players who have not built upon successful 2018 seasons. Francis Tiafoe did make a brilliant start to 2019, reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open. However, since then the young American has failed to kick on, with consistency proving to be a real issue for him. Over the summer, early exits have been the rule for Tiafoe. As for Alexander Zverev, after winning the ATP Finals in London last November, most expected the German to challenge for the biggest titles this season.
But although he won on the clay in Geneva and returned to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, Zverev has struggled to play his best tennis, in what has been a seriously disappointing season for the young gun. Off-court issues have clearly caused difficulty for the German. That said, despite his poor year, he has had much the better of this match-up in the past and beat Tiafoe at the US Open in five sets. Expect him to be tested again, but to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Zverev in 3
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Karen Khachanov vs Pablo Cuevas
Head-to-head: Khachanov 2-1 Cuevas
Karen Khachanov is another player who has endured a difficult season, struggling to meet the high expectations that were put on him after he won his first Masters 1000 event in Paris last year by beating Novak Djokovic in the final. He did, however, reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and make his debut in the top ten. Pablo Cuevas, meanwhile, has had a quiet year on tour and the Uruguayan had to come through the qualifying in Beijing, beating Wu Di and Dominik Koepfer in straight-sets to secure his place in the main draw. But Khachanov will present a real challenge for Cuevas. The surface at the China Open should suit Khachanov and expect a straight-sets victory for the Russian as a result.
Prediction: Khachanov in 2
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Christian Garin vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: first meeting
Christian Garin has been one of the breakout players on the ATP tour this season, winning his first tour-level title in Houston and collecting another trophy at the Bavarian International in Munich, where he beat US Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini in the final. Although he has not achieved the success he would’ve liked at the Majors this year, he’s definitely a player to keep an eye out for. He has, perhaps unsurprisingly, looked at his best on the clay, but he can play on hard courts as well.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie, meanwhile, has had an up and down season. He made an impressive start to the year by reaching the Auckland Open final, losing there to Tennys Sandgren of the USA. Since then he has made some solid runs without any standout successes. Nonetheless, the Briton’s game is very easy on the eye, and he will surely go into this match as the favourite due to his superior record on this surface. Expect another tight match, but for Norrie to prevail in three.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
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