Predicted Winners in BOLD
Four Nice Matches to Start the Main Draw
Jared Donaldson (USA) vs. Pablo Cuevas (URU) – I like Cuevas due to his ability to defend and dictate play.
Gilles Simon (FRA) vs. [WC] Yibing Wu (CHN) – Simon is not playing at his 2008 levels, but he is still a tricky opponent who seems to find ways to win.
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) – This match is completely unpredictable. Fognini was a runner-up recently, but I cannot read anything into that. Both men are shot-makers. I think Verdasco is slightly less likely to implode so I will go with him.
[15] Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) – Pouille and Medvedev played well in Beijing. It is too bad they face off so early in Shanghai. Pouille should take a lot of confidence from his recent near miss vs. Rafa.