The first round matches at the 2019 ATP China Open will continue on Tuesday, October 1st with some of the top men’s players in action on the day. Get the Andy Murray v Matteo Berrettini and Dominic Thiem v Richard Gasquet tips, previews and predictions below along with that for a couple of other matches below.
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Andry Murray v Matteo Berrettini Predictions & Preview
Former world number one Andy Murray plays rising Italian star Matteo Berrettini for the first time.
Murray who was ranked world number one at the end of 2016, is recovering from hip surgery, currently ranked outside the top 500 in the world. He has taken measures to ensure his comeback is not rushed, and looked better with every tournament that he has played in.
He lost in the second round of the ATP 250 at Zhuhai to eventual champion Alex de Minaur, but was widely regarded as having played the best match since his return. Murray continues his season this week in Beijing.
Italian Matteo Berrettini has gone from strength to strength this year. He won two ATP titles this year at Budapest and Stuttgart and was a semi-finalist at the US Open, and now in with a chance at qualifying for the year end ATP Tour Finals in London.
An exciting match on the cards, and another good test of how far Andy Murray is on the comeback trail. Berrettini has looked good of late, and should win this in two tight sets.
Tip: Berrettini to win in straight sets: 1/1 with Unibet
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Dominic Thiem v Richard Gasquet Predictions & Preview
Top seed Dominic Thiem and veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet meet for the third time in their career. Gasquet has won both of their previous meetings, on the hard courts of Basel (2015), and Vienna (2017).
Austrian Thiem had a very strong clay court season, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open and being a runner-up again, to Rafael Nadal.
He also won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 defeating Roger Federer in the final. However, his season has had a dip since, with first round losses at Wimbledon, and the US Open, partially being plagued by illness. Thiem will like to ensure his spot at the London Finals, and end his season well, with a good performance on the indoor and hard courts.
French veteran Gasquet was once ranked in the top ten in the world. He is recovering from an injury lay-off, and although he is still ranked outside the top 40 right now, he has met with some success already, like the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati.
A clash between two of the best single handed backhands on the tour, which will make for some fascinating stroke making. Gasquet will not be an easy opponent, and the Austrian will need to be at his best. Expect Thiem to win in three sets.
Tip: Thiem to win in three sets: 3/1 with Unibet
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Stefanos Tsitsipas v Dusan Lajovic Predictions & Preview
This is the second meeting between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dusan Lajovic. They met in the first round of the 2017 Wimbledon, with the Serb winning in straight sets.
After a very good first half of the season, Stefanos Tsitsipas has complained about feeling burnt out, and had disappointing early losses at Wimbledon, the US Open and other ATP tournaments recently. The rising Greek star will be looking to revive his strong form, qualify for the year-end finals in London, and get his season to a strong end.
Serbian Lajovic has been on the tour for a while, but had a better than usual season, winning his first ever title at Umag (Croatia), and being a finalist at the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, defeating top ten players en route.
What does not read as a blockbuster compared to some of the other matches on this first day of October in Beijing, may well end up as a close one. The determined Tsitsipas to look to continue to get his season back on track, with a straight sets win.
Tip: Tsitsipas to win in straight sets: 10/11 with Unibet
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Gael Monfils v John Isner Predictions & Preview
This is the 12th meeting between Gael Monfils and John Isner and an interesting one for a first-round meeting, between these two veterans. Frenchman Monfils leads the head-to-head 7-4, winning the last four meetings. Isner has not won against Monfils since 2013.
Monfils has had a good year overall, winning the Rotterdam ATP 500, having good runs at several ATP tournaments, making the US Open quarter-finals, and being ranked number 12 in the world, and in the running for the ATP Tour Finals in London in November. He will be disappointed after last week, losing to clay veteran Albert Ramos- Vinalos on the hard courts in China. But, has been in good form overall and will look to spring back here.
Big serving American John Isner has had a 2019 marred by injuries and poor form, since his loss to Federer in an injury-hit Miami Masters 1000 final at the end of March. His form and ranking have dipped, with him just within the top 20, now and he will be looking to turn his season around sooner rather than later.
Monfils has been in better form , and the surface suits him just as well as it does Isner’s big serve. Expect the Frenchman to win in three sets.
Tip: Monfils to win in three sets: 13/11 with Unibet
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