Day 3 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai will see the seeds making their debut, with plenty of interesting matches in prospect. While none of the current top 5 will be playing tomorrow, plenty of top-level players will be taking the court, as well as hopeful underdogs looking to cause an upset and go on a big run. But who will advance at ATP Shanghai?
ATP Shanghai Day 3 Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Aleksandar Vukic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Vukic had a nice run through qualifying and won his first-round match here as well; moreover, Ruud on hard court is, on paper, one of the easiest top-10 matchups you can get. Still, Vukic’s form has been far from impressive in general, and beating Ruud, even on this surface, generally requires a level of consistency that will be difficult for Vukic to produce.
Prediction: Ruud in 3
Ugo Humbert vs Arthur Cazaux
Head-to-head: first meeting
Humbert is fresh off losing a first-ever ATP final in his career (he had won his first six) after wasting a match point against Fils in Tokyo. He will be looking to make amends here at ATP Shanghai, but, despite finding plenty of success at lower levels, his performance at Slams and Masters 1000 has been quite poor throughout his career. Cazaux started the season with a fantastic Australian Open run but has not managed to back it up at all and has been struggling at tour level. His first round win over Cilic was actually one of the best he has managed since January; if he can maintain that level, he can certainly trouble a potentially fatigued Humbert.
Prediction: Humbert in 3
Tommy Paul vs Fabio Fognini
Head-to-head: Paul 1-1 Fognini
Paul lost only three games when the pair faced at Roland Garros this year and on a hard court the story should be quite similar. Paul is simply the far superior player of the two at this point in their respective careers, has been flirting with a top 10 debut for quite a long time now and will surely not waste this opportunity to start a run here in Shanghai.
Prediction: Paul in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
