Tournament No. 1 seed Roger Federer kicks off his Shanghai Masters bid on Wednesday against Daniil Medvedev, a dangerous young opponent. Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Karen Khachanov of Russia.
(1) Roger Federer vs. Daniil Medvedev
Top-seeded Roger Federer is going to endure a trial by fire as he begins his Asian hard-court swing. The Swiss faces Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, the surprise winner last week in Tokyo. Medvedev defeated Kei Nishikori at the Japanese favorite’s home event for his third title of 2018. On a different day at a different event, Medvedev might not be the underdog that his No. 22 ranking would suggest. After all, his star is on the rise. He beat an impressive parade of players last week in addition to Nishikori–including Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov.
Federer, meanwhile, has not played an ATP match since his miserable loss to John Millman in the U.S. Open round of 16. He has had plenty of time to recover from the shock, but to come up against a tricky player like Medvedev in the second round is a bad bit of luck. Fortunately for Federer, Medvedev just had an exhausting week last week and fatigue is almost certainly going to be a factor.
Cheryl pick: Federer in 3
Ricky pick: Federer in 2
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(10) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Karen Khachanov
This might be the most intriguing match on Wednesday; it will be two NextGen stars battling it out for a spot in the round of 16. Both players are enjoying the year of their careers in 2018. Khachanov was unlucky to run into Rafael Nadal twice in a few short weeks–in Toronto and again at the U.S. Open. Nadal won both matches, but even in the losses Khachanov generated plenty of buzz with his play.
The Russian fell short last week in Tokyo to Juan Martin del Potro, while opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas bowed out in the quarters to Nishikori. The Greek is currently the No. 15 player in the world, good for his highest ranking ever. He clawed his way all the way to the finals of Toronto (beating Novak Djokovic along the way) only to run into an inspired Nadal.
Tsitsipas and Khachanov have played once before–in Shanghai last year. Tsitsipas won in straight sets, but both players have evolved noticeably in a year’s time.
Cheryl pick: Khachanov in 3
Ricky pick: Khachanov in 3
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who ya got?
GOAT in 3;….Knov in 2.
Fed in 2, Tsitsi in 3.