Beijing R2 previews and predictions: Ferrer vs. Fognini, Zverev vs. Sock

Fabio Fognini vs. (5) David Ferrer

One of the most lopsided head-to-head matchups on the ATP Tour will add another chapter when Ferrer and Fognini collide in the second round of the China Open on Wednesday. Ferrer has won all 10 of their previous encounters, including five on hard courts. Fognini endured a stretch of 10 straight sets lost to the Spaniard, but that ended with an extremely competitive contest in round two of this summer’s U.S. Open. In a five-set thriller that began on Thursday evening and lasted well into Friday morning, Ferrer triumphed 6-0, 4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.

Fognini battled through another tense final set on Tuesday in Beijing but this time came out on top in a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 decision against Viktor Troicki. This is the 43rd-ranked Italian’s second stop on the Asian swing, as he reached the second round in Shenzhen last week (beat Dudi Sela, lost to Mischa Zverev). Ferrer booked his spot in the last 16 of this event by getting the best of Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 7-6(3) on Monday. Still, the 34-year-old is just 31-18 for the season and in search of his first title–and even his first final–since Vienna last fall. But Ferrer has always owned Fognini, who is coming off a tough one against Troicki, so the trend should continue.

Pick: Ferrer in 2

[polldaddy poll=9541179]

Alexander Zverev vs. Jack Sock

Zverev slumped through Toronto, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open, but the start of his fall swing has him poised to wrap up what has been a stellar 2016 campaign in style. Returning to the form he showcased earlier in the season, Zverev captured his first ATP title two weeks ago on the indoor hard courts of St. Petersburg. The 24th-ranked German defeated Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4 in the semis before upsetting Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the final after trailing 3-0 in the third. Zverev improved to 39-21 for the year by ousting fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday in Beijing.

Up next for the 19-year-old on Wednesday is a first-ever meeting with Sock, who took care of Chinese wild card Ze Zhang on Tuesday. That marked Sock’s first match since a productive U.S. Open, where he upset former champion Marin Cilic in the third round before succumbing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets. A confident Zverev, however, should be able to play his way into enough backhand-to-backhand exchanges to continue his current hot streak.

Pick: Zverev in 3

[polldaddy poll=9541183]