Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Beijing match.
Despite facing new off-court problems, Jannik Sinner (1) continues his progression in the ATP 500 series tournament in Beijing. In the quarterfinal, the Italian tennis player will face Jiri Lehecka (37), whom he already defeated at this stage in Indian Wells six months ago.
Jannik Sinner
Sinner faces a potential suspension ranging from one to two years, yet at the US Open, the world number one showed that he can focus on the game and leave his worries off the court. Sinner's winning streak has now reached 13 matches. Another motivating factor is that Jannik has yet to defend a title this season. It was in Beijing a year ago that his ascent began. Back then, the Italian defeated Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev on his way to the title.
Jiri Lehecka
On his fourth attempt, Lehecka finally managed to beat the 36-year-old veteran Roberto Bautista Agut. It took him three sets — 3:6, 6:2, 6:1. The Czech tennis player missed a significant part of the season due to injuries and is striving to make the most of the tournaments he participates in. However, the quarterfinals often seem to be his biggest achievement. Lehecka has only advanced beyond this stage twice: in Adelaide in January and in Madrid in April.
Jannik Sinner vs Jiri Lehecka Prediction
Sinner has yet to lose to Lehecka in their head-to-head encounters and leads 4-0 in sets, with the prolonged doping saga seemingly serving as extra motivation — he wants to prove everything on the court. Jiri has yet to take more than six games off Sinner, so the total will be under 20.5.