Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime draws a tough opener in Karen Khachanov, one of the more dangerous unseeded players in the Beijing field. Both men rely on big serves and heavy forehands, which makes this a match likely to be decided by a handful of points.
Auger-Aliassime holds the higher seeding and the better recent standing, and his all-court game has developed into a more complete package. His ability to mix pace and slice and to finish at the net gives him more ways to win than Khachanov, who prefers to trade from the baseline and hit through the court.
Khachanov is a serious threat because his backhand down the line and his first-serve percentage can carry him through a set on their own. If tiebreaks arrive, the match becomes close to a coin flip, and an upset would not be surprising.
The tie-break lean goes to Auger-Aliassime because of his stronger return game and net play, but this is the most dangerous first-round draw for a top-two seed in the field.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets. Confidence: low.