Damien Kayat previews Cameron Norrie vs J.J. Wolff and Frances Tiafoe vs Lorenzo Sonego in Selected Round of 64 Matches of the Shanghai Masters on the 7th of October 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
Masters 1000
Shanghai Masters
Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 64 Matches – 7th October
Cameron Norrie 48/100 | J.J. Wolff 16/10
This is a fascinating matchup between two players desperately looking for some form. Cameron Norrie has been one of the hardest working players on tour over the past few years, overcoming his limitations and establishing himself in the top 15 in the world.
But the Brit’s schedule seems to have caught up with him as his form has absolutely nosedived in the latter portion of this season. He started the year in typical fashion, reaching finals in Auckland and Argentina before an exceptional upset win against Alcaraz in the Rio final.
But he hasn’t been the same player since his quarterfinal exit at Indian Wells. He actually comes into this match with a 1-5 record in his last six outings (two of those defeats coming in Davis Cup singles matches. He is a prototypical counterpuncher who just seems a fraction late to everything at present.
Flamboyant 24-year-old American J.J. Wolff hasn’t quite lived up to his college hype since turning professional. The big-serving Wolff has made some incremental improvements of late, reaching his first ATP final last year to break into the world’s top 60.
And he looked set to build on that with an excellent start to this campaign. He reached the 4th round of the Aussie Open on debut, cracking the top 50 and proving that he wasn’t purely a serve merchant.
He would reach semi-finals in Dallas and Atlanta but his form has really petered out in recent times. He had lost his last five tour-level matches coming into the Shanghai Masters.
And he then struggled against clay-court journeyman Pedro Cachin in his opening match. But Wolff is an undeniable talent who should find these brisk surfaces to his liking.
Verdict: Wolff to win in three at 46/10
This will be their first competitive meeting. It feels to me like Norrie wouldn’t be too phased if the season ended right now. He needs a nice sabbatical to recharge those Energizer batteries and rediscover his best form.
Wolff has the perfect opportunity to pull off an upset here and I think his whippy serve could cause huge problems for the Brit.
Frances Tiafoe 54/100 | Lorenzo Sonego 14/10
10th seed Frances Tiafoe will be licking his wounds after consecutive Davis Cup defeats to Borna Gojo and Tallon Griekspoor. This will be his individual event since reaching his 2nd successive US Open quarterfinal.
The hard-hitting American has amassed an impressive campaign, winning 37 of 54 matches. He helped guide the US to an inaugural United Cup victory before claiming titles in Stuttgart and Houston. He also showed his Masters 1000 prowess with a solid semi-final showing at the Indian Wells Masters.
Tiafoe will feel a little disappointed with the way he capitulated against Shelton’s volcanic serve in that New York quarterfinal. He also needs to overcome a pretty dire record in Shanghai: Tiafoe has only won one match in three previous visits to this Masters 1000 event. His high-octane style will be difficult to contain on these notoriously quick Shanghai surfaces.
This has been a pretty plodding campaign for 28-year-old Italian Lorenzo Sonego. He has garnered just 24 wins from 49 competitive matches this year. His best result was a semi-final run at the Umag Open in July. Sonego actually possesses a very similar style to that of his opponent.
He builds his game around a potent serve and aggression from the baseline. He won his maiden hardcourt title at last year’s Moselle Open but he simply hasn’t been able to find the consistency necessary to bother the upper echelons of the game.
He will be pleased with an emphatic opening victory against young Aussie Phillip Sekulic but he will drastically need to elevate his game against the formidable Tiafoe.
Verdict: Tiafoe to win in straight sets at 14/10
Sonego actually leads the head-to-head rivalry 2-1. This included a victory for Sonego in Miami earlier this season. But this version of Sonego is utterly bereft of form and I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Tiafoe victory.
The American has become a far more consistent player this season, prepared to patiently construct points when Plan A isn’t going smoothly.
