Doubles partners Novak Djokovic and Stanislas Wawrinka will be back in action on Thursday in Beijing. They await second-round showdowns with Fernando Verdasco and Sam Querrey, respectively.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Fernando Verdasco

Djokovic and Verdasco will be facing each other for the 10th time in their careers but for the first time in more than three years when they collide in the second round of the China Open on Thursday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-4 in Djokovic’s favor, with a 3-1 advantage on hard courts going to the Serb. Djokovic, who is 53-9 for the season, bounced back from his U.S. Open final loss to Rafael Nadal with a pair of Davis Cup singles victories against Canada. The world No. 1 opened in Beijing on Tuesday with a 6-0, 6-3 rout of Lukas Rosol.

Verdasco booked his spot in the second round by getting past qualifier Somdev Devvarman…