The first and second round matches at the 2019 Chengdu Open will be continued on Wednesday, September 25. Get the latest Taylor Fritz v Alexander Bublik & Hyeon Chung v Joao Sousa tips and predictions with their previews along with other matches can be found below.
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Taylor Fritz v Alexander Bublik Preview
Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik meet for the first time ever in the Chengdu Open first round. At 21 and 22 years of age respectively, they are part of the ‘Next Gen’, although may individually be a little lower profile at the moment compared to some of the front runners in that group.
Fritz has had a promising year, currently ranked number 25 in the world, which is an all-time career high for him, at only 21 years of age.
He won his first ATP title this year, on the grass courts at the ATP 250 in Eastbourne. The American was a member of Team World in the Laver Cup last weekend, where he won a crucial singles match against Dominic Thiem, as well as pushed Stefanos Tsitsipas to a match tie-breaker.
After a successful run on the ATP Challenger circuit as well as the ITF Futures, Bulbik has reached a career high ranking of number 71 currently on the ATP rankings, now being a regular member on the main circuit. The Russian born Kazakhstan representative was a finalist at the Newport Hall of Fame ATP 250 earlier this summer.
A good contest is on the cards between two young and rising stars, both of whom are good strikers of the tennis ball. Fritz is the more accomplished of the two, and has had a good run this summer. Expect the American to prevail in two tight sets.
Tip: Fritz to win in straight sets: 6/5 with 888Sport
Hyeon Chung v Joao Sousa Preview
This will be the second meeting between the two players, after Chung won a convincing straight-set match at the Miami Open Masters 1000, in 2018.
Chung was the winner of the first ever ‘Next Gen’ ATP Finals in Milan in 2017, and continued his rise , defeating Novak Djokovic at the 2018 Australian Open before losing in the semi-finals to Roger Federer.
The last year or so, has been one plagued by injuries for the young Korean, who is currently on a comeback trail. He performed well on the ATP Challenger circuit this summer and did well to win an epic against Fernando Verdasco at the US Open, before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the third round.
Joao Sousa has had a year that has seen some positives, like the round of 16 at Wimbledon, and some negatives, like a poor US hard court season with him struggling to win matches. Last week, was a surprisingly good run for the Portuguese, where he was a semi-finalist at the ATP 250 at St.Petersburg, defeating home favorite and top ten player Karen Khachanov en route.
Sousa will be looking to end his season strong, and Chung will be looking to further cement his comeback. We could be in for an exciting match, but intuitively Chung is not quite there yet, and should give Sousa the other. Expect a three-set win for the Portuguese.
Tip: Sousa to win: 7/4 with 888Sport
Denis Shapovalov v Ricardo Berankis Preview
20-year-old Denis Shapovalov sprung onto the scene as an 18-year-old at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in 2017, defeating Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro, and making the semi-finals, before making the round of 16 at the US Open as well.
The young Canadian moved up to number 20 in the rankings early this season after a good run at the Miami Open, but went on a losing streak this summer and is currently ranked number 35th in the world. With former Russian player Mikhail Youzhny in his coaching team now, the Canadian has been in better form of late on the US hard courts, and also put up a spirited performance at the Laver Cup
Ricardo Berankis has been on the circuit for close to a decade and despite some consistent performances, and making the round of 32 at majors, has never been a force to reckon with as such. The two players have met twice, with Shapovalov winning at Indian Wells last year, but Berankis pulling off a surprise win this summer at Wimbledon against the Canadian, in straight sets in the opening round.
Expect Shapovalov to continue his recent strong form, as he looks to end the season on a positive note, and win this match in straight sets.
Tip: Shapovalov to win in two sets: 57/50 with 888Sport
Vasik Pospisil v Jordan Thompson Preview
Canadian veteran Vasik Pospisil and Jordan Thompson meet for the first time in their careers, in the opening round of the Chengdu Open.
Pospisil has been on the circuit for a number of years now, and is a Wimbledon doubles winner, along with Jack Sock in 2014. During the same year, he was ranked as high as number 25 on the singles circuit.
With a drop in performance and herniated disc related injuries, the Canadian has fallen outside the top 200 in the singles rankings and has been attempting to make a comeback. Pospisil defeated top ten player Karen Khachanov in the first round of the US Open last month.
Australian Jordan Thompson had a disappointing 2017, where he was ranked just within the top 100. After taking some time off from the main tour, the Aussie participated on the Challenger circuit in 2018, making eight finals. He returned to the ATP circuit this year, on a positive note and has done well to reach a career-high ranking of number 45 thus far.
A match that means a fair bit to both players looking to move up the rankings and get their confidence back further awaits us; expect the Aussie to win in two tight sets.
Tip: Thompson to win in straight sets: 7/4 with 888Sport