Shanghai Masters 2023 Day 5: Men's Singles Predictions ft. Ben Shelton vs Roman Safiullin
Day 5 of the 2023 Shanghai Masters will see the continuation of the second-round matches, along with the start of the third-round bouts.
The weather played spoilsport on Saturday, with quite a few matches suspended midway and a few yet to even begin. However, some players managed to make it through despite the delays and interruptions.
Among those were title favorites Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. The trio wrapped up their matches in straight sets to make a victorious start at the Shanghai Masters.
With quite a few exciting matches in store, here's a look at the predictions of four key singles matches on day 5 of the Shanghai Masters:
#1 Ben Shelton vs Roman Safiullin
Shelton scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jaume Munar to make a winning debut at the Shanghai Masters. He has now made it to the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time this season and the second time in his career.
Safiullin has been on a giant-killing spree here. He knocked out three-time Major champion Andy Murray in the first round and then defeated World No. 10 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-1 in the second round.
Both are now gunning to reach the fourth round of a Masters event for the first time. Safiullin getting the better of an in-form Zverev indicates his own level is quite high at the moment. Shelton did get an easier draw in the last round in the form of Munar.
Shelton is difficult to stop once he gets going as evident by his US Open run. However, Safiullin is competing quite well and having eliminated two well-known names, he'll now be aiming for a hat-trick of upsets.
Predicted winner: Roman Safiullin
#2 Hubert Hurkacz vs Hsu Yu-hsiou
Hurkacz downed Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round 7-6 (5), 6-4 to make it to this stage. Hsu came through the qualifiers to make his main draw debut at the Masters level.
He then eliminated Max Purcell and 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters. Currently ranked 184th, the 24-year-old is having a dream run here.
While Hurkacz is certainly vulnerable against players ranked far lower than him, he should be able to deal with Hsu given his experience on the tour. The difference in the quality of their serves alone is likely to make this a one-sided affair, with the Pole having a considerable edge.
Predicted winner: Hubert Hurkacz
#3 Dan Evans vs Mikhail Kukushkin
Evans was one of the players who was unable to play his match on Saturday. The Brit's results have been quite inconsistent this season. A semifinal finish in Barcelona back in April was his best showing during the first half of the year.
Evans didn't win a match after that until July. He snapped his losing streak in an emphatic manner as he went on to win the Citi Open title in Washington. He then lost his next couple of matches, but made it to the third round of the US Open.
The Chinese swing has been quite uneventful for Evans so far, as he has lost in the first round of the Chengdu Open and the China Open. Kukushkin's win over Alexandre Muller in the first round was his first main draw win at the ATP level this season.
Kukushkin has done a commendable job at getting to this stage. However, even an out of sorts Evans should be able to handle a player who has hardly won any matches over the last couple of years.
Predicted winner: Dan Evans
#4 Karen Khachanov vs Beibit Zhukayev
Khachanov won the Zhuhai Championships a couple of weeks ago to lay his hands on a winner's trophy after five years. However, he was unable to sustain the momentum as he lost in the first round of the China Open the following week.
Zhukayev fought his way through the qualifiers to secure a place for himself in the main draw of the Shanghai Masters. He defeated Stefano Napolitano to make a triumphant debut at the venue.
However, the young Kazakh hasn't played too many matches against top-ranked opposition. With Zhukayev still finding his footing on the ATP tour, Khachanov is likely to make light work of his younger opponent.
Predicted winner: Karen Khachanov