Jannik Sinner headlines opening day of main-draw competition in Beijing, where he awaits big-hitting Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Alexander Bublik and Flavio Cobolli are also part of a relatively modest Thursday schedule.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Nicolas Jarry
Sinner skipped the recent Davis Cup festivities (Italy still qualified for the semifinals without him) and also wasn’t a part of the Laver Cup, so he will be playing for the first time since winning the U.S. Open when he takes the court at the China Open. The world No. 1’s surge–one that has never stopped–began at this same Beijing tournament last fall, when he lifted the trophy and never looked back. He ended the 2023 campaign on a 20-2 run and he is now 55-5 this season.
Up first for Sinner on Thursday in his title defense is Jarry, who actually leads the head-to-head series 1-0. However, their only previous meeting came at the 2019 ‘s-Hertogenbosch tournament–when Sinner was just 18 years old (Jarry won 7-6(4), 6-3). The 28th-ranked Chilean was outstanding earlier this year, but since reaching the Rome final in May he has been a complete disaster. Jarry is 1-8 in his last nine matches and has never been very good on hard courts, so this should be an absolute beatdown in Sinner’s favor.
Pick: Sinner in 2
(8) Alexander Bublik vs. Flavio Cobolli
Bublik and Cobolli will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Thursday. Although Bublik is the seeded player in this matchup, Cobolli–who just barely missed out on a seed–should probably be considered the favorite. The 22-year-old Italian is wrapping up a breakthrough season in which he has earned 31 of his 37 lifetime main-tour match victories. Cobolli has been especially impressive of late, finishing runner-up in Washington, D.C. and reaching round three at the U.S. Open.
Following a pretty good first half of the season, Bublik seems to have lost motivation–which is nothing new for him. The 26th-ranked Kazakh is 1-6 in his last seven matches dating back to Wimbledon and has not defeated anyone ranked better than 78th since May. Cobolli should be well on his way to the Beijing second round.
Pick: Cobolli in 2
