Fresh off a comeback win over Juan Martin Del Potro, David Goffin will look to maintain his fine form at the expense of Benoit Paire on Wednesday in Shanghai. Feliciano Lopez and Jack Sock are also in second-round action.
Benoit Paire vs. (11) David Goffin
Goffin and Paire will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the third time at the ATP main-draw level when they clash in round two of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Wednesday. Paire prevailed 6-1, 6-4 on the grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2012 and 6-2, 6-3 last season on the clay courts of Bastad. That was preceded by a 6-2, 6-2 victory for Goffin during qualifying action at the 2012 Miami Masters.
The 12th-ranked Belgian is coming off a runner-up performance in Tokyo and he maintained his fine form by coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Juan Martin Del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Tuesday. Goffin’s stellar 43-20 record for the year has him in distant contention for a berth in the World Tour Finals. Last season was a productive one for Paire, but this one has been a struggle. The 47th-ranked Frenchman is just 23-28 overall 4-8 in his last 12 matches even after getting the best of Joao Sousa 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 on Monday. Based on their respective current levels, this should be one-way traffic in Goffin’s favor.
Pick: Goffin in 2
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Jack Sock vs. Feliciano Lopez
Lopez almost never fails to deliver in Shanghai. He is 18-7 lifetime at this event with three semifinal performances (2009, 2011, 2014) and only one first-round exit in eight appearances (to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2010). The 35-year-old Spaniard, who advanced to the third round last fall before succumbing to Novak Djokovic, outlasted David Ferrer 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4) on Tuesday afternoon. Lopez could really use another deep run in Shanghai because he had been just 3-5 in his last eight ATP tournament matches prior to this week.
Up next for the world No. 28 on Wednesday is a second career meeting with Sock, who lost their only previous showdown 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Memphis in 2013. Fast forward three seasons and Sock is obviously a much different player at 24 years old. The American is 27-17 for the 2016 campaign and recently turned in a fourth-round performance at the U.S. Open. Sock bounced back from a Beijing second-round loss to Alexander Zverev by beating Guido Pella 7-6(3), 7-5 in his Shanghai opener. The world No. 25’s solid but unspectacular form may not be enough to withstand Lopez at this particular event.
Pick:Â Lopez in 3
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who ya got?
Herbert will win.
I’ve a sinking feeling Paire might win but Allez David!!
Lopez in 3
I picked Sock to take down Feli at start of the tourney but I’m kind of questioning why I did that. I think he can win but I didn’t realize how good Lopez has done at Shanghai. I did remember his semifinal run in 2014. I think he and Sock have been in ok form as of late so it should be an interesting one. This is a tough call but my pick is Sock in three.
Lopez will win.
We’ll see. Jack has been better as of late in my opinion. He has that great win over Cilic at the U.S. Open while Lopez has been pretty bad as of late.
Goffin in 2 and Lopez in 2….some great early round matches at this tourney…wish I were there!
It’s not that I don’t think Sock doesn’t have a good shot but Lopez in 3.
I wouldn’t use that Cilic match as any sort of bench mark. Cilic was exhausted going into that match after winning the Cincinnati Masters right before the US Open. I vividly remember Cilic making tons of double faults, lots of unforced errors, and basically handing Sock a 3 set Walk over (lost a big bet on Cilic). With Sock’s weak service return and Lopez’s history of performing well at Shanghai, I’m going with the Underdog Lopez.