BEIJING NEWS & NOTES
*(3)Heliovaara-Patten won the titles in Beijing a year ago by beating unseeded singles pair Khachanov-Rublev 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. The specialists were firm favorites at 1.55 (-181) in the final. Their win marked the 2nd straight by the favorites in the final. It was also the third time in the three years since the Asian swing rebooted in 2023 that a top three seed won the titles with 2023 and 2024 seeing the top seeded pair in Beijing win the titles.
*The super tie break finish in 2025 also marked the third straight year that the extra frame was needed to settle the winner. Last year, there were only three super tie break finishes overall with two in the quarterfinals and then the one in the final. That numbers was down drastically from six super tie breaks in 2024 and five in 2023. Eight of the 14 matches with STB finishes since 2023 have involved at least one seeded pair. There’s been no real set trend otherwise as far as a round where the super tie breaks are more prevalent, but two of the last three runs in Beijing have seen multiple quarterfinals go the distance.
*Khachanov-Rublev became the first unseeded pair to make the Beijing final since the last pre-pandemic run in 2019 when Dodig-Polasek won the titles as an unseeded pair. Unseeded pairs made up three quarters of the semifinal field last year with two of those featuring “singles pairs.” There have been multiple unseeded pairs in the final four at the China Open in three of the last four runs, so I will point out some pairs to watch this week in the Unseeded Menaces section below.
*Underdogs won four matches last year out of the 14 completed and they were all pretty robust. The lowest hit came at 2.242 (+142) with the other three all hitting over 3.00 (+200) with a high of 3.97 (+297) when Bonzi-Griekspoor took down (4)Bolelli-Vavassori in round one. 2024 was even more of an explosion for the dogs with only two u-dog wins, but both hit at 4.00 (+300) in round one. Both of those also involved seeded upsets. 2023 was low man on the totem pole since the reboot of this tournament with just two underdogs biting and both were meager at 2.02 (+102) and 2.12 (+112).
*The story coming into Beijing is the pairs arriving that are locked in a battle for bottom spots in the top eight and a trip to Turin for the ATP Finals. Top seeds Andreozzi-Guinard(8), second seeds Cash-Glaspool(11), three seeds Luz-Matos(7) and the 4th seeds Doumbia-Reboul(10) all arrive with roughly a 1,000 spread between the 7th spot and that 11th spot. With Beijing being a 500-level event, it’s an opportunity for the pairs inside the top 8 to firm up their spots or for the outsiders to get themselves closer to being on the right side of the line at #8. You’ve also got some very tough unseeded pairs I am about to touch on further, but one of the key ones being a suddenly red-hot Cabral-Tracy who win the titles this past week in Hangzhou without dropping a set. They’ve won six of their last seven overall and will be eager to remain on a roll.
So let’s hit ‘em, the pairs floating around in the unseeded field who could make a run this week in Beijing. There are plenty to look at, so let’s get to it.
Cabral-Tracy
As I just mentioned, this is a pair to watch after they won their first title together last week in Hangzhou. I had posed the question whether a Cash-Tracy reunion would be on tap for 2027 and if Cabral-Tracy continue to play like this, there’s little reason to believe they shouldn’t remain a pair next season. After losing four of their first five matches together, something has clicked with a 6-1 record over their last two tournaments. They weren’t exactly getting pounded in those earlier losses, so perhaps the margins have just fallen their way. In any case, they’re a tough out this week and run in the Luz-Matos quarter that looks pretty wide open.
Arends-Pel
Another team coming in hot after making the Hangzhou final. They had lost four straight dating back to July before last week, so it’s been a quick turnaround in form after they lost three straight openers prior to Hangzhou. They’re boom or bust having to go up against the top seeds in round one, but catching Andreozzi-Guinard in their first tournament since the U.S. Open could aid in their bid for an upset that could unlock that first quarter into a real free-for-all.
Zhang-Zhou/Schnaitter-Wallner
They’re in that first quarter as well with these two squaring off in round one. The Chinese pair has only paired once, but it was a big one as they led China to a doubles win over Portugal’s Borges-Cabral early this year in three sets. Schnaitter-Wallner had a decent week in Chengdu last week with a semifinal run that ended with a thud, losing 6-3, 6-2 to eventual champs Johnson-Zielinski. The survivor of this one certainly provides another intriguing option in that first quarter.
Khachanov-Rublev
Last year’s finalists absolutely adore Beijing. They’ve played here three times and never been stopped short of a semifinal in 2019, 2023 and 2025. They get Cash-Glasspool to start with the Brits still a bit inconsistent this year with opening losses in two of their last year. They were scheduled to square off in the quarterfinals last year, but the Brits withdrew prior to the match. An early win and the Russian pair will be feeling good about Beijing again in a quarter that also looks fairly open with Frantzen-Haase and Melo-Zverev as the other pairs in the mix.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
At least one seed has lost their opener in three straight runs in Beijing since this stop was added back to the ATP calendar. You can make it four straight dating back to 2019, so there’s a reason to check in on the round one matchups as the season grinds on during a time of the season when fatigue and wear and tear is a real consideration.
(1)Andreozzi-Guinard
They’ve only dropped their opener five times this season out of 18 tournaments played. Four of those have come on this surface though, so it’s worth nothing. They battle Arends-Pel who I mentioned earlier as a team that come in with some good form after making the Hangzhou final. Andreozzi-Guinard did well this part of the calendar a year ago, making the semifinals in Beijing after making it through qualifying. They also made the semis in Hangzhou and Shanghai, so perhaps they’re Asian swing specialists? I think getting them for their first match since the U.S. open could breathe some life into Arends-Pel’s chances of pulling an upset, but if the top seeds find their footing early, they’re a pair that easily can win the titles this week.
(2)Cash-Glasspool
It’s a rough draw with Khachanov-Rublev up first at a tournament they’ve had a lot of success at in the past. They’ve lost four straight coming into this one, but were in a similarly poor spot a year ago. They seem to love two stops the most: Hong Kong and Beijing, so I think you have to look at this as a potential upset spot. The second seeded Brits have been a bit volatile to predict in 2026, so don’t be surprised if this at least goes to a super tie break before the Brits ultimately survive. I do however think Khachanov-Rublev have a real shot here as there’s just something that ignites them in Beijing.
(4)Doumbia-Reboul
Keep your eyes on the qualifying match on Wednesday that features Gille-Vliegen againat Gonzalez-Molteni. The winner inserts into the draw against the fourth seeds. Doumbia-Reboul have been pressed on this surface in openers quite a bit this Summer with two opening losses in five tournaments and two others going the distance before they survived. Gonzalez-Molteni own a 3-0 record against the seeded pair should they survive, but they have not met since 2024. Doumbia-Reboul would much prefer the Belgian pair who they have beat all three times they’ve met with all of those also coming in 2024.
DRAW PREVIEW
Click HERE for the doubles draw
TOP HALF
The first quarter is led by top seeds (1)Andreozzi-Guinard. As I pointed out earlier, the round one matchup against Arends-Pel could be a tight one. That said, this is a big week for the top seeds to get wins and try to stave off the pairs chasing them as they sit in that number eight spot. They’re also within 300 points of moving past Krawietz-Puetz for 6th in the race, so there’s plenty to play for in Beijing. I tend to think if the top seeds get past round one, then they’re on their way to the final. The match opposite of them could be an under-the-radar banger with Chinese wildcards Zhang-Zhou battling Schnaitter-Wallner. Zhang paired with Shang here last year and lost in the opening round, but Zhou might be a better fit. He paired with Wang Aoran last week in Chengdu, grabbing a win in doubles before losing a super tie break to Arribage-Olivetti in the quarters. I like the Chinese duo to score the upset and I would not be shocked if they pushed Andreozzi-Guinard to the brink, but that would be a much bigger challenge if they advance.
The second quarter with Doumbia-Reboul as the seeds is interesting. They await the winner of that qualifying match between Gonzalez-Molteni and Gille-Vliegen. Bublik-Shang take a wildcard in to take a spot in the other match against Cerundolo-Rinderknech, a first time singles pairing. Bublik-Shang unfortunately have followed the same M.O. in two tournaments with an opening win and then a withdrawal. It might not be surprising to see them take this opener, but going further than that could be a big ask given their brief history. Doumbia-Reboul will feel decent about this set-up …. IF .. they avoid Gonzalez-Molteni. Then again, the Argentinian pair isn’t exactly the same one they saw back in 2024 when they last met. Still, they can be dangerous at different times, so I think the four seeds would rather avoid them. I’d side with the survivor of the Doumbia-Reboul opener as the pair most likely to see a spot in the semifinals.
TOP HALF FORECAST
I think a lot of what happens in this half rides on that opener for Andreozzi-Guinard. If they get through, I think the draw gets better for them as they are the class of this half for me. That said, there are some unseeded pairs who could shove their way into the semifinals or a final. Arends-Pel would be obvious choices if they spring that round one upset. I am looking at Zhang-Zhou as the other one for me. I like that they have that big match experience from Davis Cup, but of course you have to be slightly weary of Zhang playing singles too with a deep run there maybe meaning a ripcord pull and withdrawal if they run deep in doubles.
SEMIFINAL PIX: (1)Andreozzi-Guinard vs (q)Gonzalez-Molteni
BOTTOM HALF
This third quarter is led by (3)Luz-Matos with the Brazilians looking to shake off the disappointment of losing their opener at the U.S. Opener after a scintillating Summer saw them win back-to-back Masters in Cincinatti and Montreal. They get Cash-Erler first-up. That pair has at least found the win column recently after losing their first two openers in Washington and Winston-Salem. This is a big challenge though no matter what Luz-Matos did or did not do in New York. The Brazilians did get a Davis Cup win post-US Open, so that should have helped with their confidence, but back on the regular tour again, they need this opening win to get themselves rolling again. After a horror stretch in May-July where they lost five straight openers, they have dropped their 1st match at a tournament just twice in their last seven tournaments. On the other side, the red hot Cabral-Tracy pairing looks to keep themselves hot as they face Buse-Cobolli in round one. The singles stars are 0-2 in limitded doubles play, but they nearly defeated Doumbia-Reboul in Cincinnati, losing 12-10 in a super tie break. They shouldn’t be taken lightly. And yes, there is a chance we could see the former partners Cash-Tracy square off for the first time on opposite sides of the net if both find a way to win. At this time of year, I won’t say it’s a long shot because a lot of strange things can happen as this Asian swing gets going.
The final quarter looks like a free-for-all to me with Cash-Glasspool as the seeds. They’ll need to be at their best with Khachanov-Rublev to start. I talked a lot about the Russians’ success in Beijing to the point where I don’t think it’s that big of an upset if they win in round one and make another semifinal. That opener will be intriguing and I do think if the Brits survive, it’d be pushed to do so in a super tie break. The other opener pits Melo-Zverev against Frantzen Haase who have been snake-bit by super tie breaks, losing four of their last five matches in STBs. That includes their last two openers. Melo-Zverev have done very little this year with the exception being their title run in Acapulco. Since that win, they are 3-9 with opening losses in six of nine tournaments. This will be their third time playing Beijing with a 1-2 record in the previous two trips. I do think whomever hammers home a win in that opener can be a thorn in the side of the survivor of the other match in this quarter. I truly would not be surprised with any of the pairs making it to the semifinals. Cash-Glasspool need the run this week to try and keep themselves within shouting distance of the top 8, but it’s been difficult to predict when they are going to make a run. I generally have been bearish on them in 2026 and that’s proven a better choice more often than not.
BOTTOM HALF FORECAST
Neither seed in this half is close to a sure thing to make it to the semifinals. I’d probably give Luz-Matos a better chance, but if Cabral-Tracy continue to roll, then they really seem like they could be the team to beat in this half. I might miss out on a Cash-Glasspool run this week, but I’m also staying clear of them. I think there’s quite a few pairs in their path that have enough to take them out if Khachanov-Rublev don’t get it done early.
SEMIFINAL PIX: Cabral-Tracy vs Khachanov-Rublev
Seeds have owned Beijing since this stop was added back to the calendar three years ago. Does that continue this year? I think there’s a bit more room in 2026 for an unseeded pair to stake claim to the titles. I do like Andreozzi-Guinard as long as they show up and show out early, but the other seeds for me are very 50-50 as to whether they’ll crash and burn or thrive. So, I’ll settle on some unseeded pairs to be in the mix for the titles this week. I do expect there could be some surprises along the way as there were last year even when the ultimate prize went to seeded specialists in Heliovaara-Patten. That could well be the case in 2026 with Andreozzi-Guinard. The Asian swing ramps up this week with Shanghai on the horizon. Enjoy the doubles and be sure to catch me on Twitter @tennispig for useless tennis tweets!
Andreozzi-Guinard
Cabral-Tracy
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