Sinner against Jarry, Bublik against Cobolli

Jannik Sinner makes headlines on the opening day of the main draw competition in Beijing, where he awaits the hard-hitting Chilean Nicolas Jarry. Alexander Bublik and Flavio Cobolli are also part of a relatively modest Thursday schedule.

(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Nicolas Jarry

Sinner skipped the recent Davis Cup celebrations (Italy still qualified for the semi-finals without him) and also did not take part in the Laver Cup, so he will be playing for the first time since winning the US Open when he takes the court enters China Open. The world No. 1’s rise that has never stopped began last fall at the same tournament in Beijing, when he lifted the trophy and never looked back. He finished the 2023 season with a 20-2 run and is now 55-5 this season.

Sinner’s first priority in defending his title on Thursday is Jarry, who actually leads the head-to-head series 1-0. However, their only previous meeting came at the 2019 tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, when Sinner was just 18 years old (Jarry won 7-6(4), 6-3). The 28th-ranked Chilean was outstanding at the start of the year but has been a complete disaster since reaching the final in Rome in May. Jarry has a record of 1-8 in his last nine games and has never been particularly good on hard courts, so this should be a complete loss in Sinner’s favor.

Selection: Sinners in 2

(8) Alexander Bublik vs. Flavio Cobolli

Bublik and Cobolli will compete against each other for the first time in their careers on Thursday. Although Bublik is the seeded player in this match, Cobolli – who narrowly missed the seeding – should probably be considered the favorite. The 22-year-old Italian is coming off a breakthrough season that has seen him claim 31 of his 37 lifetime Main Tour match wins. Cobolli has been particularly impressive recently, finishing second in Washington, DC and reaching the third round at the US Open.

After a pretty good first half of the season, Bublik seems to have lost motivation – which is nothing new for him. The 26th-ranked Kazakh has a 1-6 record in his last seven matches since Wimbledon and hasn’t beaten anyone ranked higher than 78th since May. Cobolli should be well on his way to the second round in Beijing.

Selection: Cobolli in 2