Rafael Nadal will be hoping to snag a spot in the Beijing quarterfinals when he takes the court against Adrian Mannarino on Thursday. Nadal could be in line for a rematch with Lucas Pouille, but the Frenchman first has to face Grigor Dimitrov.
(Q) Adrian Mannarino vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
With a chance to all but wrap up a spot in the World Tour Finals, Nadal–seemingly primed for success on the heels of a gold medal in doubles and a fourth-place finish in singles at the Rio Olympics–lost to Lucas Pouille in five sets in round four of the U.S. Open. But a trip to the China Open may be just what the doctor ordered for Nadal, who has already climbed from eighth to seventh in the race to London and could reach No. 6 with either a runner-up finish or a title. The Spaniard is 19-4 lifetime at this tournament after hammering Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-1 on Tuesday.
Up next for the world No. 4 on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Mannarino, who qualified for the Beijing main draw before getting the best of Chengdu runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday. The 64th-ranked Frenchman is coming off a second-round showing in Chengdu, where he lost to Karen Khachanov (Khachanov ended up beating Ramos-Vinolas for the title). Mannarino has not won back-to-back main-draw matches since Newport in July, a stretch of seven ATP events, and that drought will almost certainly continue against Nadal.
Pick:Â Nadal in 2 losing 7 games or fewer
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(6) Lucas Pouille vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Pouille and Dimitrov will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the first time in more than three years when they meet again on Thursday. They have not faced each other since the 2013 French Open, at which Dimitrov cruised 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1. Fast forward three seasons, though, and Pouille is obviously a much different player at 22 years old. In fact, the Frenchman is all the way up to No. 16 in the world thanks in part to a quarterfinal performances at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, a semifinal run as a lucky loser in Rome, a runner-up finish in Bucharest, and his first career ATP title last month in Metz. Pouille maintained his fine form by crushing Yen-Hsun Lu 6-1, 6-2 on Monday.
Dimitrov slumped through the spring, but he is also riding plenty of momentum at the moment. The 20th-ranked Bulgarian advanced to the quarterfinals in Toronto, the semis in Cincinnati, the fourth round in New York, and the semifinals last week in Chengdu. He picked up another win on Wednesday by battling past familiar foe Steve Johnson 7-5, 6-7(9), 6-4. That two-hour and 44-minute struggle may have taken something out of Dimitrov, which does not bode well with a red-hot opponent on the other side of the net in round two.
Pick: Pouille in 3
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Pouille has to be the hottest player coming out of this summer. I agree with your analysis that given Grigor’s long and tough match against Johnson last night, I think Pouille has the advantage especially with the extra day of rest. Pouille in 2
Pouille and Dimitrov could be AWESOME for the fans…I saw them both at The Open and both were highly entertaining…wish I could be there…Pouille in 3….and Rafa in straight.
Rafa in two losing seven games or less and I’m sticking with my pick from the start of the tourney and taking Dimitrov in three but it could be tough after he had such an epic first rounder.
Be calm, be focused, be confident, be strong, Rafa!
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