The second set of second round ATP matches are set in Zhuhai with a strong lineup of players competing for quarterfinal slots. Andy Murray headlines the slate as he is looking to continue his good form and capture his first tour-level title since 2019. The two highest seeds in action are another British player in Cameron Norrie, looking to finish 2023 strong in what has been a fairly disappointing year, and American Sebastian Korda who will hope to return to high-level tennis after a year full of injuries. Zhuhai has been a great event to start the Asian swing, and, as always, all matches are previewed here at Last Word on Tennis.
ATP Zhuhai Day 4 Predictions
Sebastian Korda vs Alexandre Muller
Head-to-head: First meeting
While Korda has had a fairly tough year due to injuries he is looking to finish the year strong on his favorite surface. Muller on the other hand prefers clay and has had struggles of his own, snapping a seven match losing streak with his round one win here. Muller moved to clay between Wimbledon and the US Open so he is less comfortable on the surface than Korda who has played on hard since Wimbledon. Korda had a strong result with a semifinal appearance in Winston-Salem but had to withdraw due to injury which likely affected him at the US Open. This is his first match in almost a month so he will be well rested and rely on his power and serve to be in control from start to finish.
Prediction: Korda in 2
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Dalibor Svrcina
Head-to-head: First meeting
This second round match has two players who both heavily prefer clay courts. Svrcina is young and looking to make the most of his opportunity in just his fifth main-draw match of the year. While Svrcina played well in his first round match, he had a generous draw again local Wild Card Zhe Li, who is 37-years-old and mostly plays in Futures events. Etcheverry has taken a step forward in his hard court game this year, aided by a big serve and strong groundstrokes on both sides. Svrcina must return well to have a shot and he will give Etcheverry trouble, but the experienced Argentine will prevail in the end.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 3
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Cameron Norrie vs Marc Polmans
Head-to-head: First meeting
While this match heavily favors Norrie on paper or by ranking, this is a potential trap. Norrie has been on a poor run of form on hard courts, losing five matches in a row on the surface before reaching the US Open third round with a fairly generous draw. Polmans has been playing great tennis lately, making the final last week at the Guangzhou Challenger and losing just nine games across his three matches in Zhuhai including qualifying. While form can certainly be a big factor this time of year, Norrie is still favored mainly due to competition level. While he has struggled to win matches, many of his losses have come to strong opponents, while Polmans has generally played at a lower level. Polmans will give Norrie trouble, but Norrie is still talented enough that this one will go in his favor.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Andy Murray vs Aslan Karatsev
Head-to-head: 1-0 Karatsev
Karatsev took their lone meeting in last year’s Sydney final but Murray somehow looks like new player this year. While he has not been regularly beating top players, Murray has continued to be consistent and has had his best results on hard courts this year, highlighted by the final in Doha in early 2023. Karatsev has had a fairly inconsistent season and most of his recent best results have come on clay. Murray matches up well with Karatsev with his elite defense able to stay in the point against the Russian’s power and force him into mistakes. The Brit has been the better player of late, is better on hard court, and has the matchup advantage. Murray will get the win and continue to build momentum for a strong finish to the year.
Prediction: Murray in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
