Daniil Medvedev will take on familiar opponent Alex de Minaur during second-round action in Beijing on Saturday, while fellow Russian countryman battles French lefty Ugo Humbert. Spots in the quarterfinals are at stake.
Alex de Minaur vs. (2) Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev comes into the China Open from a successful but ultimately disappointing run to the final of the U.S. Open. The Russian was in turns solid and even occasionally brilliant throughout the fortnight, including a notable win over world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. But he came up short in the final against an inspired Novak Djokovic and settled for the runner-up trophy.
Beijing is his first event since the last major of the year, but he meant business on Friday with a 6-2, 6-1 drubbing of world No. 13 Tommy Paul in the first round. Medvedev will face his U.S. Open round of 16 opponent Alex de Minaur in the last 16. The Aussie managed to take the first set from Medvedev in New York, but he could not maintain his form as he dropped his fifth match in seven in the head-to-head series.
De Minaur heads into this match off a tough first-round win over tour veteran Andy Murray. He outlasted the Scot 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(6) after saving three match points. Fatigue shouldn’t be a concern for the world No. 12, as he’s one of the fittest players on tour, but he has already proven that he has some difficulty with Medvedev. Expect the No. 2 seed to ease into the quarterfinals.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 2
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 2
(5) Andrey Rublev vs. Ugo Humbert
Andrey Rublev has played Ugo Humbert just a trio of times. The two men met last in Indian Wells this year, which Rublev won, but Humbert nipped Rublev on the grass courts of Halle in 2021. The Russian holds a scant 2-1 head-to-head lead over the world No. 36.
Humbert had a good result in Atlanta earlier this summer, but the Frenchman otherwise had a spotty hard-court swing. He bowed out of the U.S. Open in the first round to Matteo Berrettini and prior to that he won a single match in Cincinnati over promising young countryman Arthur Fils.
Rublev made a good run in New York, where he advanced to the quarterfinals but fell once again to Medvedev. The fifth seed will be looking to cap the end of the year off and earn his spot in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin two months from now. Expect Rublev to earn at least another quarterfinal place in Beijing.
Cheryl pick: Rublev in 2
Ricky pick: Rublev in 2
WWW?
Med in 2; Rublev in 2.