China Open 2023: Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $3,633,875
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime | Canada - TSN
Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul preview
Second seed Daniil Medvedev will face Tommy Paul in the first round ofn the China Open.
Medvedev has had a pretty good season so far in 2023, winning 55 out of 67 matches so far, with five titles to his name. The Russian's most recent tournament was the US Open where he was the third seed.
He started the New York Major with a comprehensive win over Attila Balasz and followed that up with victories against Christopher O'Connell, Sebastian Baez, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev to book his place in the semifinals. Here, Medvedev faced Carlos Alcaraz and beat him in four sets to reach the final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Tommy Paul has won 35 out of 57 matches so far in 2023, most notably reaching the Australian Open semifinals. He was a part of the Team World squad that won the Laver Cup during the weekend, winning his doubles match while losing his singles fixture.
Before this, the American entered the US Open seeded 14th and won his opening match against Stefano Travaglia. He then came back from two sets down to beat Roman Safiullin before defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to reach the fourth round. Here, the 26-year-old was beaten by eventual semifinalst Ben Shelton in four sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
Medvedev leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Paul, having previously beaten him 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in the second round of the French Open in 2021.
Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Daniil Medvedev vs Tommy Paul prediction
Medvedev will enter the match as the favorite to win but Paul should not be written off as he has produced some promising performances so far this season and is capable of giving the Russian a run for his money.
Medvedev is among the best defensive players in the world and is a brilliant counterpuncher who always switches to offense when needed. His overall hardcourt game is one of the best in the world, not to forget his serve which can often fetch him a lot of free points through aces.
Tommy Paul has a decent serve but his forehand is arguably his biggest weapon. The American loves to attack from this wing and has a pretty good baseline game. He also has good defensive skills which could come in handy, particularly when Medvedev is on the charge.
If both players are at their best, the match should be a tight contest. However, given his run of form on hard courts throughout the season, Medvedev should be able to come out on top and move to the second round of the China Open.
Pick: Medvedev to win in straight sets.