Third-round action at the Rolex Shanghai Masters continues on Tuesday as the event tries to get back on schedule following all kinds of rain. Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov are among those taking the court.
Here are my picks for two of Tuesday’s best matchups.
(28) Flavio Cobolli vs. (4) Novak Djokovic
Not including a lower-level Davis Cup tie, Djokovic is playing for the first time since losing to Alexei Popyrin in round three of the U.S. Open. How motivated is the 37-year-old Serb for the stretch run of the season? That remains to be seen. Whatever the case, he generally plays well in Asia regardless of the circumstances. Djokovic is the all-time leader in in Shanghai titles with four and his bid for No. 5 began with a two-tiebreaker win over Alex Michelsen on Friday.
Up next for the Paris Olympics gold medalist is Cobolli, whom he has never faced. The 22-year-old has been one of the ATP Tour’s breakout stars this season, earning 34 of his 40 main-tour victories. Second-round competition in Shanghai concluded on Monday night with Cobolli’s 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-3 defeat of Stan Wawrinka. That was a physical struggle, which doesn’t bode well for the Italian’s already slim chances against Djokovic.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
(20) Alexei Popyrin vs. (9) Grigor Dimitrov
Popyrin’s hard-court summer not only included an upset of Djokovic in New York but also a shocking Masters 1000 title in Montreal. The Australian remained in fine form with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Miomir Kecmanovic on Saturday. He now runs into Dimitrov for the fourth time on Tuesday, with Popyrin leading the head-to-head series 2-1 thanks to beating the Bulgarian en route to his Montreal triumph.
Dimitrov has been stellar this season as well, but he has played a lot of tennis and the veteran appears to be somewhat hampered by a hamstring issue. The No. 9 managed to get past Zizou Bergs 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on Monday, but Popyrin presents an even tougher test.
Pick: Popyrin in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
