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The second-round matches continue on Day 4 of the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
Seeded players were bundled out of the tournament on Friday, with third seed Holger Rune being the highest ranked casualty. Brandon Nakashima scored an emphatic 6-0, 6-2 win over the young Dane and dealt a blow to his odds of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti were among the other high-profile names to crash out of the Shanghai Masters. Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner are some of the big names in the fray on Saturday.
With quite a few matches lined up for the day, here are the predictions for four key matches on day 4 of the tournament:
#1 Taylor Fritz vs Yosuke Watanuki
Fritz returns to action for the first time since his quarterfinal defeat to Novak Djokovic at the US Open. Since the resumption of the hardcourt season following Wimbledon, with the exception on one tournament, he has made it at least to the quarterfinals at all others.
Fritz's overall record on the surface this year stands at a commendable 35-10. He's still fighting to secure a place for himself at the ATP Finals and a deep run here would boost his qualification chances.
Watanuki earned a hard fought three-set victory over Juncheng Shang in the first round of the Shanghai Masters. It marked his eighth win at the ATP level this season.
Watanuki has done well to climb back in the top 100 of the ATP rankings over the last few months. However, getting the better of Fritz could be an uphill battle for him.
Predicted winner: Taylor Fritz
#2 Cameron Norrie vs J.J. Wolf
Norrie's recent results have been rather underwhelming. Of his 35 victories this season, 22 of them were during the first three months of the year. He has won just four matches over the last three months. The Brit also lost in the first round of the China Open last week.
Wolf scored a comeback win over Pedro Cachin to make a winning debut at the Shanghai Masters. He also snapped a five-match losing streak in the process. With both going through some tough times, this match could flip either way.
Wolf's record against top 20 players doesn't bode well for his chances, as he is 3-12 against them so far. Norrie's the higher ranked player with better results in the past, so he'll be favored to come out on top. If the Brit is able to raise his level, he's likely to make it through this clash.
Predicted winner: Cameron Norrie
#3 Tommy Paul vs Sebastian Ofner
Paul played quite well in the lead-up to the US Open and even made it to the fourth round in New York. However, he hasn't won a match since then.
He lost both of his Davis Cup ties and was also sent packing by Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the China Open.
Ofner defeated Juan Pablo Varillas in two tight sets to begin his Shanghai Masters campaign. He also made it to the semifinals of the Astana Open last week. It's a tough opener for Paul, given his shaky form at the moment and his opponent being quite solid.
Paul has the game to outplay Ofner, but only if he's able to summon some of his old form, or else it's yet another early exit for him.
Predicted winner: Tommy Paul
#4 Grigor Dimitrov vs Aleksandar Vukic
Dimitrov's having a pretty decent season and his recent results have been good too. He made it to the quarterfinals of the China Open, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. The Bulgarian made it to the semifinals of the Chengdu Open the week prior to that.
Vukic scored a straight sets win over Roberto Carballes Baena to make a victorious debut at the Shanghai Masters. This has been a breakthrough season for the Australian as he cracked the top 50 of the ATP rankings and reached his maiden final on the tour too.
The only time the Bulgarian left a tournament without winning a match this season was at the Indian Wells Masters, when he was forced to retire. So while Vukic is certainly capable of putting up a fight, Dimitrov's recent consistency tips the scales in his favor.
Predicted winner: Grigor Dimitrov
