Shanghai Masters 2024 Day 4: Men's singles predictions ft. Alexander Bublik vs Roman Safiullin, Alexei Popyrin vs Miomir Kecmanovic

On Day 4 of the Shanghai Masters 2024 second-round action will be concluded. The third day of the tournament saw quite a few upsets. Eighth seed Casper Ruud slumped to his fourth consecutive loss as he was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Aleksandar Vukic.

Arthur Fils, who won the recently concluded Japan Open by beating four top 20 players, also crashed out. He lost to Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the second round. Nicolas Jarry and Felix Auger-Aliassime were among the other seeded players who lost.

Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, and Stefanos Tsitsipas all advanced further courtesy of straight-set wins. More players will look to join the trio in the third round on Saturday. With that in mind, here's a look at the predictions for a few singles matches lined up on Day 4 of the Shanghai Masters:

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#1 - Alexander Bublik vs Roman Safiullin

Bublik has a 24-22 record for the season, and he even won the title in Montpellier. However, half of his wins were accumulated in the first couple of months. His form has gotten progressively worse over the months, and he has now lost seven of his last eight matches. He received a bye into the second round of the Shanghai Masters.

Safiullin beat Beibit Zhukayev 7-6 (0), 6-4 in his opener here. It marked his 10th win on hardcourts this year. He hasn't tallied consecutive wins on the surface since his semifinal finish at the Brisbane International in January.

However, Safiullin now has a great chance of doing so against an out-of-sorts Bublik. The Russian pushed World No. 1 Jannik Sinner to three sets last week in Beijing. While he came up short back then, if he channels the same form once again, he has a pretty good shot at continuing his journey at the Shanghai Masters.

Predicted winner: Roman Safiullin

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#2 - Jordan Thompson vs Tallon Griekspoor

Jordan Thompson is the 26th seed at the Shanghai Masters 2024. (Photo: Getty)

A career-best season has pushed Thompson to a career-high ranking of No. 28 in singles and No. 7 in doubles. He won his maiden singles title at the Los Cabos Open in February, and reached the final of the Atlanta Open in July. He also won the doubles title at the US Open and advanced to the fourth round in singles.

Thompson recently took part in the Japan Open and bowed out in the second round. He was the recipient of a first-round bye at the Shanghai Masters. Griekspoor, meanwhile, began his run here with a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win over Facundo Diaz Acosta.

Thompson has a 25-14 record on hardcourts this season, which easily pips Griekspoor's 15-13 record on the surface. The latter also has a 5-9 record against his top 50 rivals on hardcourts, while the former has 19-8 record against players outside the top 20 on the surface.

Both their prior matches have gone to a deciding set. Griekspoor came out on top on grass courts, while Thompson won their battle on hard. As such, the Australian will be favored to win again.

Predicted winner: Jordan Thompson

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#3 - Alexei Popyrin vs Miomir Kecmanovic

Popyrin joined the big leagues this year with his triumph at the Canadian Open, his first at the Masters level, and beat five top 20 players en route to the title. He later upset defending champion Novak Djokovic en route to the fourth round of the US Open, his best finish at a Major.

Popyrin's most recent tournament was the Japan Open, and he bowed out in the first round itself. He has a 25-19 record this season, and received a first-round bye here.

Kecmanovic beat Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 6-2 to begin his Shanghai Masters campaign. He didn't face a single break point during the match, and improved his yearly record to 21-25.

Kecmanovic leads Popyrin 2-1 in the head-to-head. All of their matches were on hardcourts and finished in straight sets. The former won their first two duels, and the latter won their most recent meeting at the Indian Wells Masters in 2021.

However, Kecmanovic has a 3-6 record against top 50 players on hardcourts this year and has lost his last five matches against them. This tips the scales in Popyrin's favor by a fair margin, and he should be able to make it through this clash.

Predicted winner: Alexei Popyrin

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#4 - Jiri Lehecka vs Jaume Munar

Jiri Lehecka is the 33rd seed at the Shanghai Masters 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Lehecka has a 23-14 record this year, and recently reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, losing to Sinner. A title in Adelaide along with a semifinal finish at the Madrid Open count among his best results this year.

Munar beat Hugo Gaston 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Shanghai Masters and snapped his seven-match losing skid at the ATP level. It also marked his second win on hardcourts this year, and improved his record on the surface to 2-7.

Lehecka, on the other hand, has tallied 19 wins on the surface and taken 13 losses. Given their results, the Czech will be the heavy favorite to advance further.

Predicted winner: Jiri Lehecka