It will be a rematch of a recent Laver Cup contest when Rafael Nadal and John Isner meet again on Friday, this time in official competition in Beijing. Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev are also aiming for a place in the semifinals.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. (6) John Isner
Nadal and Isner will be going head-to-head for the seventh time in their careers when they clash in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Friday. All six of their previous meetings have gone Nadal’s way and he is 8-1 in his last nine sets against Isner dating back to the 2011 French Open. The two veterans have not faced each other since the 2015 clay-court swing, when Nadal prevailed 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 in Monte-Carlo and 6-4, 6-4 in Rome. It is actually the Spaniard, however, who may be out for a measure of revenge in this one. They recent collided at the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague, where Isner beat Nadal 7-5, 7-6(1) even though Team Europe eventually clinched the overall victory.
Isner appears to have maintained momentum from that performance, as the 6’10” American has not dropped more than three games in any set while crushing Malek Jaziri and Leonardo Mayer so far in Beijing. He is a solid 33-17 this season and currently registering at 17th in the world. Nadal twice came within one point of exiting in the first round, but the top seed recovered to beat Lucas Pouille 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 before defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday. Although Nadal is often vulnerable this time of year and also staring at an in-form opponent across the net, the head-to-head history between these two is too glaring to overlook.
Pick: Nadal in 3
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Andrey Rublev vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
Zverev also participated in the Laver Cup and played a couple of tough matches last week in Shenzhen (lost to Damir Dzumhur in the quarterfinals), but a pair of straight-set wins in Beijing is just what the doctor ordered. The fourth-ranked German got off the court in relatively swift fashion against both Kyle Edmund (via a 6-3, 7-6(3) decision) and Fabio Fognini (6-4, 6-2). Zverev is now an incredible 50-16 this year with five titles–including two of the Masters 1000 variety in Rome and Montreal.
Next up for the No. 2 seed on Friday is second career showdown against Rublev. The two rising stars previously collided last spring on the red clay of Monte-Carlo, where Zverev cruised 6-1, 6-3. Rublev has since taken off, with a current ranking of 39th that is primarily due to a recent quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open. The 19-year-old Russian is going full steam ahead in Beijing, where he has ousted Jack Sock and Tomas Berdych both from a set down. Zverev, though, has generally owned his up-and-coming contemporaries and there is no reason to think anything will be different against Rublev.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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