Jannik Sinner is making just his second appearance at ATP Shanghai after losing to Ben Shelton in the fourth round last year. Back then, he was coming off the Beijing title, but now he arrives at the venue, having lost one of the matches of the season to Carlos Alcaraz. Facing him in his opening match is Taro Daniel, who defeated Egor Gerasimov on Wednesday. Who do you think will prevail?

ATP Shanghai Day 4 Predictions

Francisco Cerundolo vs Alexander Shevchenko

Head-to-head: Cerundolo 1-0

Alexander Shevchenko’s win/loss record for the year isn’t great, but he avoided another early exit when he defeated Ramkumar Ramanathan in the opening round here. The 23-year-old remains a pretty dangerous opponent on his day, though, and maybe he can find something in the Francisco Cerundolo matchup here. He’s usually strong against players who want to power through his off-the-ground and go for a bit too much one-dimensional, linear pace. Cerundolo on hard courts tends to be a lottery as well.
Prediction: Shevchenko in 3

Andrey Rublev vs Jakub Mensik

Head-to-head: Mensik 1-0

Jakub Mensik posted one of his best wins thus far when he defeated Andrey Rublev in Doha earlier this year. He made his first ATP Tour final later that week, and while the potential is still apparent, his season has been slightly underwhelming in the last few months. Rublev might have lost that aura of invincibility he had against lower-ranked players, but it still takes a certain standard to beat him. Looking at how they’re playing right now, it’s Mensik who has to come up with something special.
Prediction: Rublev in 3

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Jannik Sinner vs Taro Daniel

Head-to-head: Sinner 1-0

Jannik Sinner might have a lot of off-court stuff to deal with at the moment with the WADA appeal, but he wasn’t letting it get to him in Beijing. Extra day of rest should help him out as it’s never easy to keep going after a long week. If any accumulated fatigue issues arise, it’s unlikely to happen in the opening round. That’s because Taro Daniel doesn’t have much to hurt Sinner with and has been struggling with his form ever since making the Auckland final in January.
Prediction: Sinner in 2

Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports