Undefeated on hard courts this year, Rafael Nadal looks to complement titles from one major and three Masters 1000 tournaments on the surface with the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing.  If he preserves his hard-court perfection until the final, Nadal will hold the world No. 1 ranking for the third time.  But it will not come easily.  Six of the top ten men have entered this prelude to the Masters 1000 in Shanghai the following week, while two more headline a slightly softer field in Tokyo. 

Beijing:

Top half:  Hoping to retain his top ranking for one more week, Novak Djokovic must defend his title in Beijing to achieve that goal.  The medium-speed court in the National Tennis Stadium should assist him in surviving the opening test posed by giant-killer Lukas Rosol, who prefers faster surfaces.  Wimbledon quarterfinalist Fernando Verdasco has troubled Djokovic on clay before but not on hard courts.  En route to the semifinals, the world No. 1 might face stiffer opposition from the man who took him to five sets at both hard-court majors this year.  Closing in on his World Tour Finals debut, the tenth-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka hopes to build on his semifinal run at the US Open while defusing an opponent who reached the quarterfinals there in Mikhail Youzhny.  Of some note as well is Sam Querrey, who defeated Djokovic at the Paris Indoors last fall.

The path might grow smoother for the world No. 1 in the semifinals.  He has dominated both third seed David Ferrer and fifth seed Richard Gasquet on hard courts, while few dark horses loom in this section.  After he upset Wawrinka last week, Julien Benneteau fell short once again in a final and may need time to rebound from that disappointment.  While Australian phenom Bernard Tomic and Canadian phenom Vasek Pospisil have plenty of talent, neither has accomplished much away from home soil yet. 

Bottom half:  A second-round date with Philipp Kohlschreiber complicates the early stages for Rafael Nadal.  Although he never has lost to the flamboyant German on a hard court, Nadal has dropped a set to him in all of their meetings on that surface and struggled to read his serve at the US Open.  In general, though, the world No. 2 eyes a more comfortable route than the man whom he hopes to replace in the top ranking.  Lleyton Hewitt found encouraging form this summer, including three semifinals and a second-week appearance at the US Open, where he upset Juan Martin Del Potro.  Still, Nadal should grind down either the veteran Aussie or competitive enigma Fabio Fognini in his quarterfinal. 

The two remaining seeds in the lower half of the draw have struggled against the Spaniard on all surface.  Last week’s Bangkok runner-up, Tomas Berdych, has lost all 14 of his matches with Nadal since the start of 2007, and American giant John Isner never has defeated him in four attempts.  One unseeded name in the lower half does intrigue, considering his winning record against Nadal.  A shadow of his former self, Nikolay Davydenko defeated the world No. 2 in the Shanghai Masters 1000 final four years ago and once was one of the few players who could rush him out of his comfort zone. 

While the smart money says that the top two men will clash once again in the final, the fall always produces plenty of surprises.  It would come as a shock, however, if Nadal does not stand atop the rankings next week considering his accommodating pre-final draw.

Tokyo:

Top half:  As with the women’s events in the two capitals, the Tokyo men’s tournaments finds itself somewhat overshadowed by its Beijing counterpart.  A wildcard for top seed Juan Martin Del Potro enhanced the quality of its field, though.  The former US Open champion looks to erase the bitter taste of a second-round loss at that major this year, which questioned the sustainability of the torrid streaks that he still produces.  If Del Potro can stay free from the injuries that have plagued him, he should continue his dominance over eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic.  Perhaps of greater note is the Argentine’s first opponent, Marcos Baghdatis, who has won two of their last three meetings and nearly upset him again in February despite poor form overall in 2013. 

The weight of Del Potro’s penetrating groundstrokes should suffocate most of his pre-final opponents, including defending champion Kei Nishikori.  The Japanese star has not won a set in four meetings on three surfaces against the former US Open champion, although he will feel inspired by the Tokyo crowd.  In fact, Nishikori fell to potential second-round opponent Feliciano Lopez in Cincinnati this summer, so his title defense could end quickly.  The semifinal in the top half could feature a first meeting between Del Potro and world No. 17 Nicolas Almagro, sure to feature explosive shot-making on both sides.  The Spaniard has won just five hard-court matches since reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals, suggesting that he would bring little confidence to that challenge.

Bottom half:  Like Del Potro, second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga received no favors from a draw that pitted him against a dangerous foe.  The world No. 8 answered the bell in style, however, easing past compatriot Gael Monfils as his draw opens.  But France surpasses all other nations in the depth of men’s tennis, and another compatriot might lie ahead for Tsonga in the quarterfinals.  That contrast of styles against counterpuncher Gilles Simon would offer Tsonga a chance to avenge a loss in the Metz final two weeks ago.  A back injury troubled Simon in Bangkok last week, but he impressed once again as he reached the semifinals and thrust Berdych to the brink there.

Halted by Nishikori in last year’s final, Milos Raonic arrives in Tokyo with momentum from his fifth career title.  That triumph in Kuala Lumpur, capped by victories over Gasquet and Berdych, extended a promising passage of play that began with his debut Masters 1000 final at the Rogers Cup.  Raonic seems closer to maturity than many rising stars, but he remains vulnerable to the unexpected stumble.  One of those nearly came against Jeremy Chardy at the Rogers Cup, so that second-round matchup bears watching.  A battle of giants looms in the quarterfinals against Kevin Anderson, with whom Raonic has split his first two meetings.  Anderson has lost four of his last five matches after a strong first half.