Zhizhen Zhang vs Mattia Bellucci – Breakdown and Prediction

September 21, 2024

Zhizhen Zhang vs Mattia Bellucci : ATP Hangzhou – Round of 16

The highest-ranked Chinese player ever Zhizhen Zhang will take on Mattia Bellucci in the round of 16 of the ATP Hangzhou.

Zhizhen Zhang Profile

Zhizhen Zhang is currently 48th in the ATP rankings and his career high was No. 31 in the world. The Chinese is 24-23 for the season and 8-9 on hard surface.

Zhang is coming off a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Denis Yevseyev in the opening round of the tournament.

Zhang’s best result his season was the semifinal in Halle where he lost to Jannik Sinner.

This is his first appearance in Hangzhou.

Mattia Bellucci Profile

Mattia Bellucci is 108th in the ATP rankings, seven spots lower than his career high. The Italian is 38-25 for the season and 22-12 on hard surface.

Bellucci is coming off a 6-4, 6-0 win over Arslan Karatsev in the opening round of the tournament.

His best result this season was the final at the Cary Challenger where he lost to Roman Safiullin.

This is his first appearance in Hangzhou.

Head-to-Head Zhang leads 1-0

Zhang vs Bellucci 6-1, 6-3 (2023 ATP Miami, qualifiers)

Prediction and Conclusion

Zhizhen Zhang is a real star in China, and he has a chance to make success in front of the home crowd in Hangzhou. He had a solid start in the opening match, but Mattia Bellucii performed even better. Zhang absolutely dominated their first head-to-head match last season, but it is a fact that Bellucci has improved a lot since then. The Italian moved well on this surface and goes for every ball on the court, which will make him a tough opponent and will steal at least a set in this match.