China Open 2023 Day 1: Men's singles predictions ft. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Yi Zhou
Day 1 of the China Open will see five men's singles matches and three men's doubles fixtures take place.
The most awaited match of the day will probably be between Andy Murray and Alex de Minaur. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will face Yi Zhou while Lorenzo Sonego will face Ugo Humbert. The likes of Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Matteo Arnaldi will also be in action.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the first-round matches on Day 1 of the China Open.
#1. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Yi Zhou
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will face Yi Zhou in the first round of the China Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
The Spaniard has won 30 out of 55 matches so far this season, producing some promising performances. Zhou, on the other hand, has played just one match on the ATP Tour, which came at the Zhuhai Championships a few days back, and he ended up on the losing side.
Davidovich Fokina will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite and should be able to come out on top without much trouble.
Predicted Winner: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
#2. Lorenzo Sonego vs Ugo Humbert
Lorenzo Sonego will face Ugo Humbert in the first round of the China Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with the Italian leading 2-1 in the head-to-head.
Sonego has won 23 out of 47 matches so far this season while Humbert has triumphed in 20 out of 39 fixtures.
While the Italian has won both clashes between the two this season, they have come on clay and Humbert won their only previous encounter on hard courts. However, Sonego is capable of producing some very good tennis on his day and there is a fair chance of him coming out on top against the Frenchman to reach the second round of the China Open.
Predicted Winner: Lorenzo Sonego.
#3. Lloyd Harris vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Lloyd Harris will take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the China Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Etcheverry has produced some promising performances so far this season and has a win-loss record of 25-22. Harris, on the other hand, has come out on top in only seven out of 18 main-draw matches.
The Argentine's relatively superior run of form makes him the favorite in this fixture.
Predicted Winner: Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
#4. Matteo Arnaldi vs JJ Wolf
Matteo Arnaldi will square off against JJ Wolf in the first round of the China Open. It will be the first encounter on the ATP Tour between the two.
Arnaldi has won 15 out of 26 matches so far this season, and his win percentage of 57.7% is higher than Wolf's 52.4% (22 wins out of 42 matches).
Ranking-wise, both players are evenly matched, but Arnaldi has had some promising performances on hard-courts recently, most notably reaching the fourth round of the US Open. The Italian should just about manage to get over the line.