Top seed Alexander Zverev faces wildcard Juncheng Shang, ranked around 250, in the second round in Beijing. They have never met on tour.
Zverev opened with a 7-6(1), 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie, saving all three break points he faced and hitting 15 aces. He took the first-round match 54-26 in rallies of five shots or fewer, which is exactly the pattern that suits him against a lower-ranked opponent. He carries a 59-18 record into the week and sits second in the rankings.
Shang has home support and a flat, fast game that can steal a few points early. The ranking gap and the serve gap are large though, and Shang will have to survive long baseline exchanges against one of the best backhands in the sport to stay in a set.
Expect Zverev to hold comfortably and find one break in each set. Shang's best chance is a tiebreak if the crowd lifts him.
Prediction: Zverev to win in straight sets. Confidence: high.