Defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner is the massive favorite for the 2024 China Open title. The first opponent on the way is no pushover, though, with Nicolas Jarry’s big serve earning him plenty of upset wins in the past. We also predict the rest of Thursday’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think will make the second round at ATP Beijing?
ATP Beijing Day 1 Predictions
Adrian Mannarino vs Lorenzo Sonego
Head-to-head: 2-2
Adrian Mannarino recently snapped his long losing run and while he’s still far from optimal form, at least it gives him a fighting chance with two ATP 250 titles left to defend this year. Speaking of trophies of that category, Lorenzo Sonego recently impressed by dominating the week in Winston-Salem. It’s just unclear if the Italian will maintain that form, especially after his loss to a struggling Taro Daniel last week. But maybe it’s enough to make Sonego a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Sonego in 3
Jiri Lehecka vs Pedro Martinez
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jiri Lehecka was a bit sick during Davis Cup Finals group stage, which contributed to his rather disappointing performance. The Czech has now had over 10 days to recover and should be ready for this event, but he remains a fairly inconsistent player. Even with Pedro Martinez not being a hard-court expert, the Spaniard is more than capable of taking advantage if Lehecka isn’t keeping his error count in check. It’s still the 22-year-old who will be controlling the proceedings here, for better or worse.
Prediction: Lehecka in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Nicolas Jarry
Head-to-head: Jarry 1-0
What else is there to say about Jannik Sinner in 2024? The Italian is 55-5 for the year and hasn’t lost before the quarterfinals at any event. He’s also the defending champion in Beijing and comes into this week on an 11-match winning streak. While Nicolas Jarry is far from the ideal opponent in the opening round, with his weapons not providing the opponent much rhythm, the Chilean is pretty out of form right now and seems a bit helpless in this clash against Sinner.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
