Holger Rune vs Felix Auger-Aliassime: 2023 China Open Beijing - Preview & Prediction

The China Open in Beijing is shaping up to be a really strong event, and the first-round match between Holger Rune and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

These are two players that are essentially Top 10 level players but in Beijing, they will play in the first round. It comes mostly because the event has one of the strongest entry lists out of all events this year and that's impressive.

Neither player has played that well, though Auger-Aliassime at least won. He recently played in Vancouver at the Laver Cup, where he scored wins for Team World. The same can't be said for Rune, who hasn't won basically since Wimbledon.

He lost multiple matches in a row because of an injury which bothered him up until recently. Because of that, he missed the Laver Cup but admitted on Instagram that he's good to go. We'll see how he does in Beijing.

They played twice so far on the ATP Tour, and each player has one win. The Canadian won their first match, which happened in Basel last year. That was actually a final and not a very good one from Rune.

They would play once more not long after that in Paris. It was the semi-final of the Paris Masters, and Rune won that one easily.

With all that in mind, how might this go? Well, it largely depends on how fit Rune is. If he's really fit and healthy, then he has a clear matchup advantage because he tends to be the better shot-maker. Auge-Aliassime is a terrific player but hasn't looked his best this year.

He does win matches from time to time, but against Rune, he'll need an amazing serving performance and really strong play from the baseline. In a direct clash from the baseline, Auger-Aliassime lacks the weapons for me personally. It's really tough to say, but I'll back him against Rune, as we don't know what to expect from him.

Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in two sets.