R2 previews and predictions: Shapovalov vs. Nishioka, Chung vs. Auger-Aliassime

Fellow Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be taking the court in Shenzhen and Chengdu, respectively, on Wednesday. Shapovalov is going up against Yoshihito Nishioka in round two, while Auger-Aliassime faces Hyeon Chung.

Shenzhen Open: (Q) Yoshihito Nishioka vs. (6) Denis Shapovalov

Shapovalov and Nishioka will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers when they battle for a place in the Shenzhen quarterfinals on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Canadian is rounding the home stretch of his best season on tour, even though he may not have made as many headlines as he did in 2017 when he reached the Rogers Cup semifinals and the U.S. Open fourth round. Shapovalov has earned 31 of his 45 career ATP-level match victories this year, including a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 defeat of Ilya Ivashka on Tuesday.

Nishioka has already won three matches this week, qualifying with victories over Alexander Bublik and Filip Peliwo followed by a 6-1, 6-3 rout of Denis Kudla. The 22-year-old from Japan is struggling down at No. 171 in the world while owning a 6-10 record on the main tour this season. Nishioka is 6-0 in total sets through three outings in Shenzhen, but this is a steep step up in competition for the qualifier.

Pick: Shapovalov in 3

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Chengdu Open: (LL) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (2) Hyeon Chung

Auger-Aliassime has been both lucky and good so far in Chengdu, where he is sporting a 2-1 record this week that includes a final-round qualifying loss to Ruben Bemelmans that preceded a lucky-loser entry into the main draw. The 18-year-old Canadian capitalized on the opportunity with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 defeat of Chinese wild card Yibing Wu on Tuesday. That marked Auger-Aliassime’s fifth ATP-level match win of 2018 and the fifth of his career.

Up next for the world No. 147 on Wednesday is a first-ever showdown against Chung, who earned an opening-round bye as the second seed. In part due to injuries, Chung has cooled off following a scorching-hot first three months of the year but he still registers at No. 23 in the rankings and he was won at least one match in five consecutive tournaments. He should be able to make it six straight, as Auger-Aliassime is wildly talent but inconsistent and Chung will get too many balls back in play.

Pick: Chung in 2

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