Nakashima vs. Shang, Sonego vs. Giron
Jerry Shang will continue his Chengdu title defense when he goes up against No. 4 seed Brandon Nakashima in round two on Friday. Lorenzo Sonego and Marcos Giron are also aiming for a place in the quarterfinals.
(WC) Jerry Shang vs. (4) Brandon Nakashima
Shang may have won the Chengdu Open last September, but a successful title defense cannot be on his mind. Simply advancing to the second round is a huge success for the 20-year-old from China. After all, he has missed basically the entire 2025 campaign due to a foot injury. Shang did not play in between the Australian Open and the Toronto Masters, and he was winless (0-3) in his comeback before battling past Zizou Begs 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Up next for the world No. 138 on Friday is a first-ever meeting with Nakashima, who earned an opening bye as Chengdu’s fourth seed. The 33rd-ranked American has won at least one match in seven consecutive tournaments, so he is a model of consistency even if true signature victories are lacking. With Nakashima in fine form and Shang still a huge question mark from a physical standpoint, this will likely be one-way traffic.
Pick: Nakashima in 2
(8) Lorenzo Sonego vs. Marcos Giron
Sonego and Giron will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Friday. Their first encounter certainly did not disappoint, as Sonego prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker on the indoor hard courts of Metz in 2023. The 30-year-old Italian’s ranking of No. 44 is built almost entirely on two Grand Slams, having reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon. Sonego is a horrendous 11-20 this season outside of those two tournaments.
The No. 8 seed opened in Chengdu with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Juan Manuel Cerundolo, while Giron dismissed fellow American Ethan Quinn 7-5, 6-4. Giron has been far from on fire this year, but the world No. 50 at least managed to advance one round at the U.S. Open before falling to Benjamin Bonzi in a five-setter. This could obviously go either way, but Giron’s rock-solid style from the back of the court should get the best of Sonego’s much higher-risk, higher-reward game.
Pick: Giron in 3