Shang is legit!

The Chinese player has huge potential and often plays great tennis, but he very often cracks in money time; this time he’s strung together two nice wins without any physical issues too — all good.

It’s a sweet redemption for Shang, who recently lost matches he should’ve won—his body let him down multiple times, but not so far in Shanghai! A very clean win over Khachanov after a pretty sloppy first set from both players. The Chinese was much more proactive and gave away less from the baseline too; he dominated a very flat Khacha. So he’s the favorite for this next match against Borges, and in terms of matchup, I really like it, I admit! He’s very aggressive, doesn’t let his opponents breathe, and he goes for a lot—that’s exactly what Borges fears most. The Portuguese beat two guys who hurt you with serve and forehand, but they weren’t as aggressive as Shang; this will be a bit tougher, though I’m not writing him off because he’s always hard to beat. Mentally, he’s one of the best on tour for me—he never lets go—and that’s an advantage against Shang given how many matches the Chinese has lost from ahead. Physically, Borges is stronger too; once again we’re in a fairly clear scenario where Shang looks better in the rallies but not in the rest— the longer the match goes, the more Borges gains value in my eyes. I already liked what I saw from the Portuguese last week and he’s confirming it again this week; he’s in good shape just like Shang. It’s a big match, and the bets should reflect that—unless you think Shang can steamroll Borges and close this out in straight sets like he did against Khachanov.