Russian doubles partners Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov will be part of a jam-packed singles lineup on Friday in Beijing. Khachanov opens against Lorenzo Musetti in round one; Rublev runs into Cameron Norrie.
Karen Khachanov vs. Lorenzo Musetti
Khachanov will be getting right back in action after he kicked off his Asian swing with a title in Zhuhai on Tuesday. The 14th-ranked Russian had played only one match since the French Open because of a back injury (lost to Michael Mmoh in the U.S. Open first round), but it all turned around for him in Zhuhai. Khachanov is now 27-12 this season and still in distant Nitto ATP Finals contention at No. 14 in the race.
Up first for the 27-year-old at the China Open on Friday is Musetti, whom he has never faced. The 21-year-old Italian ended his summer on a three-match losing streak before reaching the semifinals in Chengdu, although he was upset by Roman Safiullin at that stage. Musetti is a tough opponent and this is quick turnaround for Khachanov, but the hard-court surface favors Khachanov and he should be able to maintain his sudden hot streak.
Pick: Khachanov in 3
(5) Andrey Rublev vs. Cameron Norrie
Rublev and Norrie will be squaring off for the fifth time in their careers on Friday. The head-to-head series is all tied up at two wins apiece, having alternated victories once per year from 2020 to 2023. This will be their second meeting of the season following Norrie’s 6-2, 6-4 victory in the Indian Wells fourth round.
The second half of 2023, however, has been a rough one for the 16th-ranked Brit. Since that Indian Wells result, Norrie has gone 14 consecutive tournaments without winning more than two matches in any single event. His fall swing includes an 0-2 record in Davis Cup and a Zhuhai quarterfinal loss to Aslan Karatsev. Since his Indian Wells win over Rublev, Norrie has not defeated anyone ranked better than 40th. Rublev way not be playing his absolute best tennis these days, but he is coming off a quarterfinal effort at the U.S. Open and will likely capitalize on a struggling opponent.
Pick: Rublev in 2
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