Andy Murray will continue his post-hip surgery comeback when he takes the court against Matteo Berrettini for first-round action in Beijing on Tuesday. Another intriguing opener pits top-seeded Dominic Thiem against Richard Gasquet.
(WC) Andy Murray vs. (8) Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini and Murray will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they clash in round one of the China Open on Tuesday afternoon. Murray has always been a force on the Asian swing, and he already has one win under his belt this time around–no small feat based on the fact that he is still in the early stages of his singles comeback from February hip surgery. The 32-year-old Scot ended a four-match losing streak at the ATP level when he defeated Tennys Sandgren 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-1 in Zhuhai. He then lost to eventual champion Alex de Minaur 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Whereas Murray has mostly been absent in 2019, Berrettini has enjoyed his breakthrough on tour. In fact, the 23-year-old Italian is currently in position to quality for the Nitto ATP Finals–eighth in the race to London, five points ahead of Kei Nishikori. He made a run to the U.S. Open semifinals but is coming off a St. Petersburg quarterfinal upset loss to Egor Gerasimov in a pair of tiebreakers. Although Murray is getting better and better, a confident Berrettini may have too much firepower.
Pick: Berrettini in 3
[polldaddy poll=10421097]
(1) Dominic Thiem vs. Richard Gasquet
Thiem and Gasquet will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the third time on the fall swing. Gasquet has won both of their previous encounters–7-6(1), 6-4 at the 2015 Basel tournament and 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 two years ago in Vienna. This is another good opportunity for the veteran Frenchman, as Thiem is 2-4 in his last six matches (1-1 at the Laver Cup included) partly due to a virus that plagued his hard-court summer. This stretch includes a 6-3, 6-2 Davis Cup loss to 163rd-ranked Finn Emil Ruusuvuori.
Gasquet, on the other hand, reached the third round at the Montreal Masters and then made a run to the Cincinnati semifinals. The world No. 42 lost in round one of the U.S. Open to Berrettini and he is coming off a second-round showing in Metz (beat Marcel Granollers, fell to Benoit Paire). Based on current form and their past history against each other, Gasquet should be able to pull off what would really be just a minor upset of Beijing’s top seed.
Pick: Gasquet in 3
[polldaddy poll=10421098]
WWW?
Same.
Same picks