Seeded sixth at this ATP Hangzhou Open, Zhang Zhizhen might be China’s best hope for the title here. The 27-year-old hasn’t appeared on court since his retirement against Jack Draper at the US Open. That leaves him potentially vulnerable coming up against qualifier Denis Yevseyev. We predict all of the day’s matches, split between three articles. Our other two articles feature Alexander Shevchenko vs Marco Trungelliti and Yoshihito Nishioka vs Maximilian Marterer. Who do you think will prevail?
ATP Hangzhou Day 2 Predictions
Sumit Nagal vs Yasutaka Uchiyama
Head-to-head: Nagal 1-0
It’s pretty imperative for Sumit Nagal to take this match as so far on the main tour he hasn’t been doing all that well. He’s on a five-match losing streak and most of his points this year have come from the Challenger runs. Yasutaka Uchiyama can be pretty tough as well, former Top 100 player on a nice run of form. The 32-year-old won the Zhangjiagang Challenger just a few weeks ago and was dominant in his qualifying campaign here (beat Maxime Cressy and Mitchell Krueger). Nagal is still the favorite, but it’s much closer than you’d think.
Prediction: Nagal in 3
Rinky Hijikata vs Damir Dzumhur
Head-to-head: Dzumhur 1-0
Damir Dzumhur is back in the Top 100 thanks to five Challenger titles this year, now it’s time to see what he can do at the higher level. The good news for him is he’s not facing an opponent with overwhelming power here and you can see how his game might turn out troubling for someone like Rinky Hijikata. The Bosnian should be in control of most of the points and that’s where he’s most dangerous, using his variety on the offense and throwing in the dropshot. It’s a solid opportunity for his first non-Davis Cup tour-level win of 2024.
Prediction: Dzumhur in 3
Zhang Zhizhen vs Denis Yevseyev
Head-to-head: First meeting
Denis Yevseyev can be pretty unpleasant to face and while his win over Dalibor Svrcina in the final qualifying round was a mess, he stayed mentally locked in all the way to the final set tie-break against Reilly Opelka. Zhang will still feel like this match is on his racket with his thunderous power, but an engaged Yevseyev likes playing off the back foot. The Chinese has all the tools in his hands and should prevail if he uses them smartly. Provided he has recovered from the knee issue that troubled him at the US Open.
Prediction: Zhang in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
