The 2019 edition of the China Open is about to begin. This is the main lead-in tournament before the Shanghai Masters 1000 tournament the following week. Top players won\u2019t place too much emphasis on winning this tournament, but they will want to play at least three matches, maybe four, to get a working rhythm and a good feel for their game before traveling to Shanghai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2018 \u2013 Nikoloz Basilashvili
2017 \u2013 Rafael Nadal
2016 \u2013 Andy Murray
2015 \u2013 Novak Djokovic
2014 \u2013 Novak Djokovic<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khachanov is the No. 4 seed and while he hasn\u2019t broken through at the major tournaments, he has done well at Masters 1000 tournaments with less pressure and more opportunities to advance in a bracket. He reached the Cincinnati Masters semifinals in August and won the Paris Indoor Masters (Bercy) last fall and without any of the Big 3 players (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic) at this tournament in Beijing, he can make a real run at the title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of Khachanov\u2019s nemeses is Roberto Bautista-Agut. The Spaniard has beaten Khachanov multiple times this season. If they meet, Khachanov might be in trouble, but if Khachanov can avoid Bautista-Agut, he has an excellent chance of winning this tournament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auger-Aliassime is a great longshot flier. He has made Masters 1000 semifinals (Miami) and has made deep runs in other tournaments at the ATP 500 level, on both clay and grass. He can easily do the same on hardcourt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auger-Aliassime did not play a lot of tennis during the summer hardcourt season due to early-round losses in various tournaments. That means he is struggling, but it also means that compared to a lot of the players who did well at the U.S. Open, Auger-Aliassime is comparatively fresher. He has not worn himself out or overplayed this season. After a number of weeks off, he could be recharged and renewed as he heads into Beijing. He obviously has a lot to learn as a 19-year-old, but late-season tennis often allows younger players or off-the-radar players to make deeper runs in tournaments because the top players are more tired and less motivated near the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Auger-Aliassime will start the tournament off with a matchup against Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The Canadian youngster is a -119 favorite to win the match<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dominic Thiem is the top seed and yet he is the player to avoid at this tournament. For one thing, Alexander Zverev looked better than Thiem did at the recent Laver Cup. That tournament is regarded as an exhibition by many, but it still involves players competing against other highly-ranked players in an intense environment. Zverev, the No. 2 seed in Beijing, and Thiem both entered the Laver Cup as struggling players. Thiem continued to struggle while Zverev made some minor but genuine improvements. Zverev played one of his better matches of the year in the Laver Cup clincher versus Milos Raonic. Thiem, meanwhile, lost to Taylor Fritz, a player he should have no business losing to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thiem picked up a virus in August and still looks like a weaker player who is a shell of his former self. He seems like an obvious upset candidate in the early rounds of Beijing \u2013 even though he\u2019s a high seed. He\u2019ll start the tournament off with a matchup against Richard Gasquet<\/a> where he\u2019s merely a -143 favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the latest tennis betting odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPLAYER TO AVOID: DOMINIC THIEM<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n