The China Open continues on Thursday with David Goffin and Novak Djokovic both taking to to the court for their respective second round encounters.
World No. 1 Djokovic will face a local wildcard in Zhe Zhang. Zhang had registered just his third ATP victory, as he came back from a break down in the final set to beat Uzbek Denis Istomin in the first round, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. Djokovic had made typically short work of Simone Bolelli, dropping just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing. It is unlikely that the five-time champion, who is undefeated in Beijing, will face much trouble in getting past the highest ranked player from the home nation.
The match that potentially offers the most intriguing match-up is that of the consistent David Goffin against the unpredictable Fabio Fognini. They precede the Djokovic match, playing after the conclusion of the WTA match between Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Roberta Vinci. Fognini sent down a warning sign when he smashed Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-1, with Klizan later going on to complain about the conditions of the smog currently afflicting Beijing. Goffin was almost as impressive in taking care of Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-3. It is a first career meeting between the two.
Ivo Karlovic and Tomas Berdych’s conqueror Pablo Ceuvas, take to the Lotus court at 12 30pm Beijing time, with John Millman and John Isner concluding play after two WTA matches. Djokovic and his brother Djordjie are also in doubles action, taking on former wimbledon champions Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock. That is on Moon Court with no scheduled start time yet.
The smog level in Beijing is expected to remain high through the morning on Thursday, though it is predicted to dissipate throughout the afternoon.
