The second round matches at the 2019 Zhuhai Open will continue on Thursday, September 26, 2019 as the top men’s players in the world take to court. Get the latest Andy Murray v Alex de Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas v Adrian Mannarino tips and predictions with their previews along with other matches can be found below.
Get the best odds for the ATP Chengdu Open 2019 with 888Sport here.[the_ad_group id=”1639″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Andy Murray v Alex de Minaur Predictions & Preview
Andy Murray and Alex de Minaur meet for the first time, in the second round of the Zhuhai Open, with Murray trying to resurrect his career, and de Minaur looking to launch his further.
Former world number one Andy Murray continues his return to the tour following hip surgery, and won his first singles match since his return, defeating Tennys Sandgren in the first round. Murray looked a lot more match fit than he was at Winston Salem last month, and displayed some of the skills that had taken him to the top of the rankings in 2016.
20-year-old Aussie Alex de Minaur has gone from strength to strength on the tour. He has won his first two ATP titles on the tour this year, at Sydney and Atlanta. The Aussie had a good US Open making the second week and defeating Kei Nishikori on the way. He looked composed and confident in his first round match against countryman John Millman.
This should be an interesting match to watch, and at some level a generational clash too. While Murray has all the skills to beat anyone on the tour, he is still on the comeback trail, and young De Minaur is full of confidence at the moment and will want to grab this opportunity with both hands. The Aussie to win a tight match here.
Tip: De Minaur to win in three sets: 3/1 with 888Sport
Stefanos Tsitsipas v Adrian Mannarino Preview
Rising Greek star has had a good last year and a bit, where he has moved up the rankings knocking on the top five in the world. He made the semi-finals at the Australian Open, defeating Roger Federer en route, and the finals of the Masters 1000 in Madrid defeating Rafael Nadal, and continued his success at other ATP tournaments.
His season has taken a dip since Wimbledon, with first round losses at both Wimbledon and the US Open, some of which he has attributed to overplaying this season and being tired and burnt out.
The Greek star had a successful and inspiring weekend at the Laver Cup, and will be looking to the Asian swing now to turn his season around and confirm his participation at the year end ATP finals in London.
French veteran Adrian Mannarino has been on the circuit for a while, but did well to reach a career high ranking just outside the top 20 in the world in early 2018. This season has been indifferent for him, falling to outside the top 50 in the rankings. However, he surprised all winning his first ever ATP title this summer on the grass courts at Rosmalen.
With a good game well suited to the faster surfaces, he is not a player one can discount and he will be looking to get his season to a strong finish.
Although Tsitsipas begins as favorite, it remains to be seen how well he recovers from the travel from the Laver Cup and an exhausting weekend. Mannarino looked to be getting into his groove in a tight two set opening round against China’s Zhang. Expect an interesting match on the cards, but Tsitsipas should prevail in three sets
Tip: Tsitsipas to win in three sets: 3/1 with 888Sport
Pablo Andujar v Roberto Bautista Agut Preview
In a clash of Spaniards, Roberto Bautista Agut meets Pablo Andujar for the second time in their careers. Agut won their only meeting in 2018 on the Barcelona clay courts.
Agut has had a strong year, winning the title in Doha, defeating Novak Djokovic twice, being a Wimbledon semi-finalist, and making the top ten of the ATP rankings. He is in contention for a first ever spot at the ATP Tour Finals in London later this year, at the moment. Despite a sluggish end to the US hard court season, Agut will be looking forward to continuing his good form on the indoor and hard courts to end the season strong.
Veteran Andujar made the fourth round at the US Open, but that was more with the draw being in his favor than any brilliance on his part. A one sided loss to Gael Monfils in the round of 16 evidenced than the veteran is not the player he was and his tennis has seen better days, especially winning the title at Marrakesh last year and getting back to winning titles after a four year hiatus. The Spaniard however did well to win his opener against American Steve Johnson, who is also looking to resurrect his tennis season.
While this match could get interesting between two gritty players, Agut’s tennis currently is way ahead of Andujar and he should win this match in straight sets.
Tip: Agut to win in straight sets: 7/10 with 888Sport
Borna Coric v Di Wu Preview
‘Next Gen’ star Borna Coric plays China’s Di Wu in the second round, in their first ever meeting.
Ranked number 14 in the world, Croat Coric has had a disappointing 2019, after a breakthrough season last year, where he defeated Roger Federer twice, won the ATP 500 at Halle and made his first Masters 1000 final at Shanghai. This year has seen him plagued with injuries and poor form. However, a good performance at the St.Petersburg ATP 250 last week where he was a finalist and came back from a set down on three occasions will have done his confidence a world of good.
Di Wu is ranked outside of the top 250 in the world and is a name better associated on the Challenger and especially ITF Futures circuit, where he was won 12 titles. He will be hoping the home crowd support can help him provide a good challenge.
Expect Coric to win comfortably in straight sets.
Tip: Coric to win in straight sets 3/5 with 888Sport