Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Shanghai Masters match.
Roman Safiullin (69) continues his Asian tour. After Chengdu and Beijing, the Russian tennis player heads to Shanghai. In the first round, he will face Beibit Zhukayev (196) from Kazakhstan, who progressed to the main draw from the qualifiers.
Beibit Zhukayev
For Zhukayev, this will be his first match of the year at the ATP main tour level in singles. The 23-year-old has been competing either in qualifying tournaments or on the Challenger circuit. Even at this level, his hard-court results are not impressive: 14 wins and 15 losses.
Roman Safiullin
Safiullin's tennis quality fluctuates week by week, but he maintains his level. Since August 12, Roman has faced players outside the top 100 eight times and lost only once — to Christopher Eubanks. Yes, his victories are not always convincing, but the handicap is usually modest: just 3.5 games. For a player who recently challenged Jannik Sinner (6:3, 2:6, 3:6), this is minimal.
Beibit Zhukayev vs Roman Safiullin Prediction
Zhukayev hasn’t shown anything outstanding at the Challenger level to suggest he can mount a serious challenge in this match. Safiullin, on the other hand, hasn’t been eliminated in the first round of the main draw in five consecutive tournaments. We’re backing the favourite.
