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Day 3 of the 2024 China Open will feature the start of the second round in the men's singles draw along with the opening matches for the other half of the men's doubles teams.
The opening couple of days saw nearly all seeds advance in the men's singles draw, except for eighth seed Alexander Bublik, who lost to Flavio Cobolli in a thrilling three-set match. Defending champion Jannik Sinner was pushed to the limit by Nicolas Jarry but showcased his status as the World No. 1 by winning the second and third sets comfortably.
World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and defending runner-up Daniil Medvedev both registered easy victories against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Gael Monfils respectively.
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Sinner is set to headline the action on the third day and will be joined by Medvedev, Jiri Lehecka, and Flavio Cobolli, among others. With plenty of high-profile action set for Saturday in the Chinese capital, here are some predictions for those matches.
#4 Rohan Bopanna & Ivan Dodig vs Nicolas Jarry & Francisco Cerundolo
Doubles partners Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig will face the South American duo of Nicolas Jarry and Francisco Cerúndolo in the first round of the China Open. Bopanna's regular partner, Matthew Ebden, chose to sit out this event, while Dodig's partner, Austin Krajicek, decided to team up with compatriot Rajeev Ram in light of the upcoming Davis Cup finals.
Bopanna enters this match with a 22-14 record for the year and two titles, the Australian Open and Miami Open, and he incidentally defeated Dodig in the final in Miami. In contrast, Dodig has a 24-19 record this season, with his best results being reaching the finals in Miami and Dubai.
Cerundolo and Jarry, primarily singles players, have struggled in doubles this year, with the former holding a 2-10 record and the latter a 4-6 record. They have never teamed up before.
Bopanna and Dodig are favorites to win this matchup due to their superior doubles experience. Cerundolo and Jarry also tend to perform better on clay, which may benefit the Indian-Serbian duo. Additionally, Dodig has previously defeated Jarry in doubles at Cincinnati this year.
Pick: Bopanna and Dodig in straight sets.
#3 Neal Skupski & Michael Venus vs Lorenzo Musetti & Flavio Cobolli
Fourth seeds Neal Skupski and Michael Venus will face the Italian duo of Lorenzo Musetti and Flavio Cobolli in an exciting first-round matchup at the 2024 China Open.
Skupski and Venus began their seasons with Santiago Gonzalez and Jamie Murray respectively before teaming up in Stuttgart this year. They had a highly successful grass-court season, winning back-to-back titles at Queen's Club and Eastbourne and reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon. However, their North American hardcourt swing was less successful as they only made it to the quarterfinals in Cincinnati and New York.
Musetti and Cobolli, in contrast, have scarcely participated in doubles this season, primarily plying their trade on the singles circuit. Musetti has a 4-5 record while Cobolli holds a 2-5 record. Musetti did reach a doubles final this year in Qatar with compatriot Lorenzo Sonego, and Cobolli competed in the doubles event at the US Open, where he and Dominic Stephan Stricker reached the second round.
The duo of Skupski and Venus are favored to win this matchup due to their superior understanding of the doubles game and their success together as a team.
Pick Skupski and Venus in straight sets.
#2 Flavio Cobolli vs Pavel Kotov
Flavio Cobolli will lock horns with Pavel Kotov in an exciting second-round match-up at the 2024 China Open.
Cobolli enters this contest with a 32-24 match record for the year, highlighted by a finals appearance at the Citi Open in Washington. He's impressed at the Grand Slams too, making it to the third round in Melbourne and New York and the second round at Wimbledon.
Kotov, meanwhile, has an 18-19 match record so far this year, with his best result being a run to the semifinals in Marrakesh. He last featured at the Chengdu Open where he fell to Christopher O'Connell in the first round.
Cobolli was pushed to the limit in his Beijing opener against eighth seed Alexander Bublik, showcasing incredible fight and mental resilience to overcome a one-set deficit and secure victory in a gripping final-set tiebreak. Kotov, in contrast, started his campaign in the qualifiers and has also been taken the distance twice, including in his first-round match against local player Yi Zhou, where he similarly rallied from a set down to win in a tight decider.
Cobolli is favored to win this contest due to his strong recent form and performance on hardcourts this year. Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1, with Kotov winning their most recent encounter in Marrakech. However, Cobolli triumphed in their only meeting on hardcourts at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Pick: Cobolli in three sets.
#1 Jiri Lehecka vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Jiri Lehecka will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the 2024 China Open, a rematch of their Davis Cup encounter from a couple of weeks ago.
Lehecka enters this match with a 22-13 tour record and one title from the Adelaide International. He last represented Czechia in the Davis Cup, where he lost both his singles matches to Arthur Fils and Bautista Agut.
In contrast, Bautista Agut holds an 18-17 record, with quarterfinal runs in Hong Kong and Mallorca as his best results so far. He also played at the Davis Cup last and performed well, winning both his singles ties against Fils and Lehecka.
Bautista Agut leads their head-to-head record 3-0, having won their only encounter on hardcourts last year in Paris. However, Lehecka has shown improvement this season and is favored to win this matchup due to his stronger recent form. The slower and more rugged courts in Beijing may also suit the young player, who has a more free-flowing and versatile game.
Pick: Lehecka in three sets.
