Hangzhou Open 2024 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Karen Khachanov vs Bu Yunchaokete

Day 3 of the Hangzhou Open 2024 will see the start of the second round on Friday, September 20. The first round ended on Thursday, September 19, with some surprising results.

Wu Yibing was forced to retire after the first set against Coleman Wong due to an injury. Another home player, Zhang Zhizhen, looked in trouble but fought past Denis Yevseyev in three sets to advance further.

Former Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev was beaten 6-4, 6-0 by Mattia Bellucci. Eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka made it through with a comfortable win over Maximilian Marterer. He will next take on 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in the second round.

The Croat, meanwhile, won his first match in over two years after he staged a comeback to beat Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 in the first round. Four second-round matches are scheduled to take place on Friday. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for a couple of the matches set for Day 3 of the Hangzhou Open:

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#1 - Karen Khachanov vs Bu Yunchaokete

Khachanov has compiled a 23-17 record for the season, with his best result being a title at the Qatar Open. He has a 14-10 record on hardcourts, though 12 of those wins came during the start of the year. The recently concluded North American hardcourt swing was quite disappointing for him.

Khachanov made a swift exit from the Citi Open without winning a match, losing to the 175th-ranked Hong Seong-chan. He followed it up with second-round exits from the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.

The Russian battled for over five and a half hours in the first round of the US Open. It was the longest match in the tournament's history but he came up short against Dan Evans. He received a first-round bye at the Hangzhou Open as the second seed.

Bu beat Hugo Gaston 7-5, 6-3 to begin his campaign at the Hangzhou Open. It marked the second top 100 win of his career, having beaten the 45th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic at last year's Shanghai Masters as well. It was also his second win at the ATP level this year.

Bu has only won three main draw matches on the ATP Tour. He's also aiming to win back-to-back matches for the first time. Given his lack of experience on the main tour, Khachanov will start as the strong favorite in their first career meeting.

However, the Russian has already lost to players ranked outside the top 100 four times this year. All four losses have come in the last four months, and two have been on hardcourts, including the loss to Evans.

Another upset against the lower-ranked Bu could be on the cards, especially since they're playing on his home turf. Khachanov has the game to beat Bu, though he will need to up his game significantly as his current form won't cut it.

Predicted winner: Karen Khachanov

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#2 - Fabian Marozsan vs Rinky Hijikata

Fabian Marozsan is the seventh seed at the Hangzhou Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Marozsan breezed through his first-round match at the Hangzhou Open, beating Luca Nardi 6-0, 6-2. Hijikata, meanwhile, rallied from a set down to defeat Damir Dzumhur 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

Marozsan has notched up a 15-13 record on hardcourts this season and has a 21-25 record overall. His best showing on the surface has been a quarterfinal finish at the Miami Open. He recently bowed out in the second round of the US Open.

Hijikata has a 15-20 record for the year, though he has gone 11-10 on hardcourts. Quarterfinals at three ATP 250 events count among his best results on the surface.

This will be the first career meeting between the two of them. Hijikata has gone 5-23 against top 50 players in his career. However, four of those wins have come this year, though he has lost his last six matches against them.

Marozsan, meanwhile, has an 8-7 record against players ranked between 50-100. The two seem evenly matched based on their results this season, though the Hungarian has a better shot at continuing his journey at the Hangzhou Open.

Predicted winner: Fabian Marozsan