Christophe Gateau/dpa
Alexander Zverev vs Mattia Bellucci: ATP Shanghai – Second round
Former finalist Alexander Zverev will take on the Mattia Bellucci in the second round of the ATP Shanghai.
Alexander Zverev Profile
Alexander Zverev is back at the second place in the ATP rankings this week. The German is 57-18 for the season and 27-9 on hard surface.
Zverev is coming off a 6-7, 7-5, 10-5 win over Francis Tiafoe in the Laver Cup. Previously, he lost in the US Open quarterfinal to Taylor Fritz.
Zverev won the title in Rome this season and lost the finals at the French Open and in Hamburg.
This is his sixth appearance in Shanghai and his best result was reaching the final in 2019 when he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
Mattia Bellucci Profile
Mattia Bellucci is 103rd in the ATP rankings, two spots lower than his career high. The Italian is 43-27 for the season and 27-14 on hard surface.
He is coming off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Billy Harris in the opening round of the main draw after winning two matches in the qualifiers.
His best result this season was the final at the Cary Challenger where he lost to Roman Safiulin.
This is his first appearance in Shanghai.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first match between Alexander Zverev and Mattia Bellucci.
Prediction and Conclusion
Alexander Zverev is back in action after a disappointing loss at the US Open and hopes to turn things around in Asia. He has been playing consistently well this season, but winning only one title so far in 2024 is not something he can be happy with. Mattia Bellucci is one of the rising stars on tour this season, and the 23-year-old hopes to find his spot in the top 100 for the first time in his career. Zverev will definitely have control of this game, but Bellucci is a tough player with a high level of confidence, which will help him to stay close enough and cover the +4.5-game spread.
