Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, fresh off their intense battle at the China Open final, kicked off their Shanghai Masters campaign with impressive straight-set wins on Saturday. Alcaraz, ranked second, continued his winning streak with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over China’s Shang Juncheng. The Spaniard, in spectacular form, advanced to face Wu Yibing in the third round.
Reflecting on his match, Alcaraz expressed his readiness to compete against younger opponents and acknowledged Shang Juncheng’s recent success, having clinched his first ATP title in Chengdu. Meanwhile, Sinner, currently dealing with a doping case, secured his 250th career win by defeating Taro Daniel from Japan with a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 scoreline. The Italian, who claimed his second major title at the U.S Open, demonstrated his prowess with 12 aces and 38 winners.
In other matches, world No. 65 Jakub Mensik caused an upset by breaking sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev seven times en route to a 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 victory. Yosuke Watanuki also delivered a surprise win over No. 35 Brendan Nakashima with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 triumph. The action-packed tournament saw 24th-ranked Alexei Popyrin of Australia defeating Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-2.
As the day progressed, third-ranked Alexander Zverev commenced his campaign against Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, while fourth-ranked Novak Djokovic faced Alex Michelsen of the United States. The Shanghai Masters continues to showcase thrilling encounters as top players battle for supremacy on the court.