Daniil Medvedev opens his Hangzhou campaign against Frenchman Valentin Royer in a match that looks lopsided on paper. This is the pair's first career meeting, and the gap in ranking, No. 6 against No. 104, is significant.
Medvedev has had a solid if unspectacular 2026, sitting at 34-16 overall and 23-8 on hard courts, with titles already banked in Brisbane and Dubai. His most recent result was a loss to Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, so there is some incentive to reassert himself on a surface and in a draw where he should be comfortable. His return game and depth from the baseline are built for exactly this kind of early round test against a lower ranked opponent.
Royer reached this second round by beating Adam Walton and has shown he can serve well against players outside the elite tier, sitting at 23-26 for the season. But stepping up to face a former US Open champion and world No. 1 is a different challenge entirely, and his hard court record this year, 9-11, does not suggest he has the tools to trouble Medvedev over best of three.
Expect Medvedev to control this from the back of the court and close it out comfortably.
**Prediction: Medvedev in two sets. Confidence: high.**