Daniil Medvedev will want to save his season in Shanghai while on Monday he faces an in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Round-Three Action will also contain the All-Italian confrontation of Lorenzo Musetti and Luciano Darderi.
(16) Daniil Medvedev vs. (18) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Daniil Medvedev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will give up for the second tournament in a row. The two men met last week in the round of 16 in Beijing and Medvedev won that competition in simple straight sets. While Medvedev reached the semi -final, the tournament was not without the usual controversy for him. In his semi -final against student ten, the world no. 18 started cramping (and as a result of poor play). Chairman Umpire Adel Nour has issued a “best efforts” code -which resulted in the type of heated exchange for which Medvedev is known.
The ATP later assessed the situation and reversed Nour’s decision and said that a mistake had been made. The problems seemed to come through due to fatigue and no actual injury, so it should not affect his performance in Shanghai. The Russian now plays better tennis than he has most of the season. Given his bump in shape and his 5-1 record about Davidovich Fokina, look for Medvedev to continue.
Cheryl Pick: Medvedev in 3
Ricky Pick: Medvedev in 3
(8) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (26) Luciano Darderi
Lorenzo Musetti in Italy also had an eventful Beijing tournament last week. The world no. 9 made the crowd angry when he audibly complained: “These damn Chinese, they always cough” during his first round marathon match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Musetti later apologized for insulting, but he was later booed in the quarterfinals of the court when he was forced to retire with a thigh injury against the final finalistic student ten.
Musetti’s third round opponent, Luciano Darderi does his best work on clay and it’s not close. He is 21-8 on the dirt this year, but loses records on hard (5-10) and grass (2-4). Darderi pushed Musetti at Wimbledon last year in their only other meeting at Tour level, but still lost in a five-set heartache. Seed no. 8 is the more consistent player and has better weapons for Hard-Court Tennis.
The controversy in Beijing and Chinese crowd can distract for Musetti as the tournament progresses, but it is unlikely that Darderi will have enough in the arsenal to achieve the upset on Monday.
Cheryl Pick: Musetti in 2
Ricky Pick: Musetti in 2
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