Chinese wild card Jerry Shang will hope to keep things going in front of the home crowd in Beijing on Saturday, but he has to face top seed Alexander Zverev. Jakub Mensik and Francisco Cerundolo are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(1) Alexander Zverev vs. (WC) Jerry Shang
Zverev is 15-6 lifetime at the China Open, where he has lost prior to the quarterfinals only once in six previous main-draw appearances. The second-ranked German opened on Thursday with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie, improving his incredible 2026 record to 57-14. Zverev is 11-1 in his last 12 matches dating back to the U.S. Open, with only a three-set Laver Cup loss to Alex de Minaur during this stretch.
Up next for the two-time Grand Slam champion on Saturday is a first-ever meeting with Shang. The 21-year-old from China peaked as high as 47th in the world in 2024, but injury after injury has set him back to a current mark of No. 250. Shang is just 6-9 on the main tour this season and ended a four-match losing streak with a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 first-round win over Sebastian Baez. Unfortunately for Shang, Zverev is a far tougher opponent — and one who generally feasts on left-handers.
Pick: Zverev in 2
Francisco Cerundolo vs. (8) Jakub Mensik
Mensik and Cerundolo will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Saturday. Cerundolo has won both of their previous meetings — 7-6(4), 6-1 at this same Beijing event in 2024 and 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 on the red clay of Madrid in 2025. Of course, Mensik is a much better player than he was in 2024 and a hard court is more favorable for him in this matchup compared to the slow stuff. The 14th-ranked Czech made a semifinal run at Roland Garros and has been solid ever since, including in a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Alexander Bublik on Thursday.
Both Mensik and Cerundolo are 34-18 this season, although the 22nd-ranked Argentine has cooled off a bit since lifting the Queen’s Club trophy in June. Take a pair of lower-level Davis Cup rubbers out of the equation and Cerundolo is 5-6 in his last 11 matches even after beating Botic van de Zandschulp 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the Beijing opening round. On a medium-fast hard court, an in-form Mensik will likely ride his serve to victory.
Pick: Mensik in 2
WWW?
Zverev vs Djokovic will be interesting and probably will go Zverev’s way this time.
I was just looking at their history:
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/atp-head-2-head/alexander-zverev-vs-novak-djokovic/z355/d643