Fifth seed Alex de Minaur meets Quentin Halys in the second round on Saturday, with de Minaur projected around 76 percent.
De Minaur beat Mariano Navone 7-6, 6-2 in round one, dropping nothing after a tight opening set. His speed, return position and ability to turn defense into offense are well suited to the Beijing hard courts, and he usually dominates players who rely on the first strike.
Halys won 1-6, 7-6 over Ignacio Buse in an up and down first-round match. The Frenchman has a huge serve and forehand and can beat anyone on a good day, but his consistency has been the issue throughout his career.
If Halys serves well, there will be tiebreaks and the match gets uncomfortable for the Australian. Over a full match, however, de Minaur's return depth and rally tolerance should win out.
Prediction: de Minaur to win in two sets. Confidence: high.