Shanghai Masters 2024: Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (9) Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik
Date: October 9, 2024
Tournament: Shanghai Masters 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik preview
Ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov will square off against Jakub Mensik in the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters 2024 on Wednesday (October 9).
Dimitrov beat Zizou Bergs 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the third round, where he faced Canadian Open champion Alexei Popyrin. Both players defended their serves extremely well in the opening set, and thus forced a tie-break.
Dimitrov edged out Popyrin in it to take a one-set lead. He raced to the finish line in the second set as he swept five games in a row to secure a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win, and advanced to the fourth round here for the third consecutive edition.
Mensik, meanwhile, ousted Pedro Martinez in his opener here, and then overcame a one-set deficit to stun sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. He was up against Alexander Shevchenko in the third round.
The Czech teen cruised through the first set, and claimed it for the loss of only one game. He blew a 3-1 head start in the second set, which came back to bite him as Shevchenko captured the set in the eventual tie-break.
The two remained on even footing until halfway through the third set, at which point Mensik pulled ahead. He bagged the last four games of the match to register a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 win.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik head-to-head
Mensik leads Dimitrov 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous meeting in the second round of this year's Madrid Open 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Grigor Dimitrov vs Jakub Mensik prediction
Dimitrov was on a roll against Popyrin in the previous round. He won a massive 97 percent of his first-serve points, and didn't face a single break point during the match. He struck 18 winners in contrast to 17 unforced errors. It also marked his 40th win of the season.
Mensik was pushed to three sets in Shanghai for the third consecutive match but managed to prevail yet again. Having already eliminated one top-10 player, he will aim to repeat the feat in the next round.
Mensik got the better of Dimitrov in their prior and only duel in Madrid a few months ago. However, the Bulgarian isn't as effective on clay as he is on hardcourts. Of his 40 wins this year, 27 have come on hardcourts.
Dimitrov also has a 14-2 record on hardcourts against players ranked outside the top 50, and 10 of those wins have been in straight sets. Given his record against lower-ranked opposition, he will be favored to one-up Mensik this time.
Pick: Grigor Dimitrov to win in straight sets.