James Duckworth vs Lorenzo Sonego — R32 — Chengdu Open

Lorenzo Sonego beat James Duckworth 6-4, 6-4 in the Chengdu Open round of 32, reversing their only meeting on record: a straight-sets defeat at the Winston-Salem Open a month earlier. Sonego did not face a break point all match and held all 10 of his service games, hitting 10 aces. Two of his five break chances were enough: he broke for 4-3 in game 7 of the opening set, then again in the first game of the second. Duckworth saved the other three but never won a return game. Sonego arrived at ATP No. 86, 19 places below Duckworth and well off the No. 39 he held at the start of the season, with a 5-6 hard-court record in 2026. The betting market still made him a narrow favorite at 53%. He faces Jenson Brooksby, then ranked No. 77, next.