Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Beijing match.
Alexander Bublik heads to Beijing in superb form after lifting the trophy in Hangzhou, and he’ll look to carry that momentum into his opener against experienced Frenchman Adrian Mannarino – a player renowned for making life difficult even for top-level opponents.
Adrian Mannarino
Mannarino has managed to take at least one set in 12 of his last 13 matches, underlining his resilience. However, tie-breaks have become a major weakness: Adrian has lost six of his last seven. On hard courts this year his record is a modest 14-14, with defeats to players ranked outside the top 100, including Yibing Wu, James Duckworth and Dmitry Popko. That inconsistency raises doubts about his ability to close out tight contests.
Alexander Bublik
Bublik arrives in peak condition. The Kazakh has won 14 of his last 15 matches as the favourite, 12 of them in straight sets. En route to the Hangzhou title he didn’t drop a single service game – an exceptional stat even at elite level. Alexander also holds a head-to-head win over Mannarino, defeating him 6:3, 6:4 in Doha five years ago. With his serve firing and confidence sky-high, Bublik looks difficult to stop.
Adrian Mannarino vs Alexander Bublik Prediction
Mannarino’s guile may allow him to stay competitive in stretches, but Bublik’s form, serve and overall level make him the clear favourite. Expect the Kazakh to progress.
