Kicking off the evening session on Day 2 of the Rolex Shanghai Masters will be a match between Zhizhen Zhang and Zizou Bergs. The Chinese reached the fourth round and almost took out eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz at this tournament last year. Can he produce another big run? Who do you think will come out on top at ATP Shanghai?
ATP Shanghai Day 2 Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Rinky Hijikata
Head-to-head: Hijikata 1-0
Rinky Hijikata surprisingly beat Miomir Kecmanovic in Los Cabos in February and that’s kind of how the Australian has been operating of late. He can go a few weeks without posting an impressive performance, but then finds a good win when you don’t expect it. Kecmanovic remains the favorite despite that previous meeting, as he’s looked stronger in recent weeks, and it’s tough to say which part of Hijikata’s game is going to bother him.
Prediction: Kecmanovic in 2
Beibit Zhukayev vs Roman Safiullin
Head-to-head: First meeting
Beibit Zhukayev played maybe his best tennis to date in that Shanghai run last year, winning a round and losing a tight contest with Karen Khachanov. The Kazakh’s big serve can help him stick around in many matches against high-quality opposition and Roman Safiullin is far from a steady player. This might be much tighter than it seems on paper, but it’s still tough not to like the chances of the Russian. He should be feeling confident about winning most of the baseline exchanges.
Prediction: Safiullin in 3
Zhizhen Zhang vs Zizou Bergs
Head-to-head: 1-1
This is a nice one between a couple of entertaining players. Zhizhen Zhang lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the opening round in Beijing, but that came right after his great performance in Hangzhou. The Chinese went on a run in Shanghai last year and should be perceived as a threat again. But things won’t be easy against Zizou Bergs, who finally got to the main tour but is still looking for his big breakthrough. Zhang’s thunderous power might give him an edge here and put the Belgian on the defense more often than he enjoys.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
