Shanghai Masters 2024 Day 5: Men's singles and doubles predictions ft. Jordan Thompson vs Tallon Griekspoor
Day 5 of Shanghai Masters 2024 will see the third round of the singles tournament commence while the remainder of the second round will take place. A total of 25 matches are scheduled across singles and doubles at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz will both be in action as they take on 31st seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Wu Yibing, respectively. Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev will face 29th seed Matteo Arnaldi while seventh seed Taylor Fritz will be up against Terence Atmane.
The likes of Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, and Tommy Paul will also be in action. On that note, let us take a look at the predictions for some of the men's singles and doubles matches that will take place on Day 5 of the Shanghai Masters 2024.
#5. Simone Bolelli / Andrea Vavassori vs Tomas Machac / Zhang Zhizhen
Fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori will take on the Czech-Chinese pair of Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen in the first round of the Shanghai Masters. The winner of the match will face either Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul or the Chinese duo of Aoran Wang and Zhou Yi.
Bolelli and Vavassori are coming off an impressive title run in Beijing, where they beat Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara 4-6, 6-3 [10-5] in the final. Zhang's last doubles experience came at the Olympics, where he partnered Wang Xinyu in the mixed doubles event, and the pair won silver.
Machac's last doubles experience was at the Japan Open, where he and Jack Draper reached the semifinals before withdrawing. The Czech last teamed up with Zhang at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, where they lost to Jan Zielinski and Hugo Nys in the first round.
Bolelli and Vavassori will enter the match as heavy favorites, and given their recent triumph in Beijing, there is a good chance of the pair coming out on top and reaching the second round of the Shanghai Masters.
Predicted Winner: Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori
#4. Marcel Granollers / Horacio Zeballos vs Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela / JP Smith
Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos will face Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and JP Smith in the first round of the Shanghai Masters. The winner will take on either Jamie Murray and John Peers or the French duo of Ugo Humbert and Adrian Mannarino.
Granollers and Zeballos have had some impressive performances so far in 2024, winning two Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Rome. They last competed together at the US Open, reaching the quarterfinals.
Reyes-Varela and Smith's last tour-level tournament was the Chengdu Open, where they reached the semifinals. The pair most recently took part in the qualifiers of the China Open, where they lost to the Ecuadorian pair of Diego Hidalgo and Gonzalo Escobar.
Granollers and Zeballos' experience and quality make them the favorites to win the match and they should be able to beat Reyes-Varela and Smith and reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
Predicted Winner: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
#3. Marcelo Arevalo / Mate Pavic vs Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen
Second seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will lock horns with the Belgian pair of Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the opening round of the Shanghai Masters. The winner of the match will take on either the American duo of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow or the Argentine pair of Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Till now Arevalo and Pavic have been incredible this season, winning four titles, including the French Open and the Cincinnati Open. Gille and Vliegen won the Monte-Carlo Masters this year. The pairs faced one another twice previously in 2024, with Arevalo and Pavic winning both matches, that came at the Hong Kong Open final and the US Open.
The pair from Honduras and Croatia are heavy favorites entering the match and while Gille and Vliegen are tough competitors, it seems difficult to see the former duo not winning.
Predicted Winner: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.
#2. Tomas Machac vs Aleksandar Vukic
30th seed Tomas Machac will take on Aleksandar Vukic in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. It will be the second encounter between the two, with the Czech winning their previous meeting 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the Erste Bank Open in Viena last year.
Machac booked his place in the third round in Shanghai after edging out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4. Vukic, on the other hand, defeated eighth seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to continue his run at the Masters 1000 event that started in the qualifiers.
Machac has won 27 out of 46 matches so far in the 2024 season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Miami Open and, more recently, the semifinals of the Japan Open. Vukic, on the other hand, has triumphed in just 19 out of 42 fixtures so far this year.
Machac will enter the match as the favorite and given his recent run of form, he should be able to beat Vukic without much trouble and reach the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters.
Predicted Winner: Tomas Machac.
#1. Jordan Thompson vs Tallon Griekspoor
26th seed Jordan Thompson will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the Shanghai Masters. It will be the third meeting between the two, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1.
Thompson received a bye to the second round of the Masters 1000 event due to his seeding, while Griekspoor edged out Facundo Diaz Acosta 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. The Aussie has won 32 out of 54 matches so far in 2024, while the Dutchman has triumphed in 27 out of 51 meetings.
Thompson has had a relatively better run of form and while Griekspoor is capable of putting up a tough fight, there is a fair chance of the Aussie triumphing and reaching the third round in Shanghai.
Predicted Winner: Jordan Thompson