We've got three picks from the Hangzhou Open today, with some warm and partially cloudy conditions out there at 86°F. Medvedev is the obvious headliner, but the other two matches are genuinely interesting, and I'm not sure everyone will see them the same way I do.
Hangzhou Open Predictions
Daniil Medvedev vs Valentin Royer
Head-to-head: First meeting
Medvedev is still one of the best hard-court players in the world, and Royer at 104 in the world hasn't shown he can compete at this level on this surface. This is a first meeting, so there's always some uncertainty, but not much. The concern with Medvedev lately has been his consistency, and he did drop sets in some matches earlier in the season he probably shouldn't have.
Still, Royer doesn't have the weapons to really hurt him and Medvedev's ability to absorb pressure and slow matches down should be too much here. I'll say he drops a set along the way.
Prediction: Medvedev in 3
Kyrian Jacquet vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is the pick that'll raise eyebrows. Etcheverry is a clay specialist, full stop, and hard courts are a different world for him. Hard to see this being competitive at all. Jacquet at 107 isn't setting the tour on fire, but he's a hard-court player by nature and that matters a lot here. Etcheverry's heavy topspin game doesn't translate as well when the ball skids through fast, and he tends to struggle when he can't dictate with his forehand the way he does on clay.
Jacquet in three feels right to me, and I think the surface difference is bigger than the ranking gap suggests.
Prediction: Jacquet in 3
Sho Shimabukuro vs Hugo Gaston
Head-to-head: Shimabukuro 0-1 Gaston
Gaston's game is built on variety and feel, which can be brilliant or maddening depending on the day. Shimabukuro leads him in the ranking and pushed him in their one previous meeting, so this isn't a walkover by any means. That said, Gaston's touch and ability to change pace tends to cause problems on hard courts for players who rely on rhythm, and Shimabukuro fits that profile.
Prediction: Gaston in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Scott Stuart/ZUMA Press Wire