Djokovic against Cobolli, Zverev against Griekspoor

Action in the third round of the Shanghai Masters continues on Tuesday as the tournament looks to get back on schedule. Novak Djokovic awaits Flavio Cobolli while Alexander Zverev faces Tallon Griekspoor.

(28) Flavio Cobolli vs. (4) Novak Djokovic

Djokovic is playing his first tournament since the US Open, where he was unceremoniously thrown out of the tournament by Alexei Popyrin in round three. It remains to be seen how motivated the Paris Olympics gold medalist is heading into the home stretch of the 2024 season, but he is generally playing well in Asia. In fact, Djokovic is the all-time leader at the Rolex Shanghai Masters with four titles. The No. 4 seed was tested in his opening game on Friday (defeating Alex Michelsen in two tiebreakers), which could be a good thing for him as he finds his way back into contention.

Next up for Djokovic is a first-ever showdown on Tuesday against Cobolli, who is one of the tour's breakout stars in 2024. The 22-year-old Italian has won 34 of his 40 Main Tour match victories this season and is moving up to No. 30 in the world. The second round of this rain-delayed event finally concluded late Monday evening with Cobolli's 6-7 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Stan Wawrinka that lasted two hours and 30 minutes. It was a physical fight and Cobolli doesn't have much recovery time, so Djokovic should be in good shape to move forward.

Selection: Djokovic in 2

Tallon Griekspoor vs (2) Alexander Zverev

Zverev and Griekspoor are facing each other for the sixth time in their careers and the third time this season. After the most memorable encounter at the French Open 2024, which the German won 3:6, 6:4, 6:2, 4:6, 7:6, the head-to-head series is 4:1 in favor of Zverev. 3) after a double break in the fifth set. Griekspoor is 0-4 in this game outside the Netherlands, as its only win of 2023 came at home in Rotterdam by a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision.

In the race with Beijing champion Carlos Alcaraz for number 2 at the end of the year and second place at the Australian Open, Zverev was incredibly consistent. The world No. 3 has reached at least the quarterfinals in five consecutive tournaments and in eight of his last nine. He opened with a 6-2, 6-4 win over the in-form Mattia Bellucci in Shanghai on Saturday. Griekspoor played his second-round match on Monday after defeating Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2 following a three-set win over Facundo Diaz Acosta. This should be another good duel between these two competitors, but all signs point to Zverev having the upper hand once again.

Selection: Zverev in 3