Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz bolted out to a fast start and posted a 6-2, 7-5 win over Gregoire Barrere of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
Alcaraz won the first four games of the first set and saved six of seven break points to win the match in one hour, 42 minutes. The Spaniard improved to 15-0 in opening matches this season and rebounded from his loss to Italian Jannik Sinner in the Beijing semifinals on Tuesday.
“I had just one practice here in Shanghai and then the match,” Alcaraz said. “I think he was more used to these conditions. He had more practice, a match in the bag, so it was really difficult to adapt my game in a new city, new conditions, but I think I did pretty well.
“I played really focused, I tried to take lessons from the last match in Beijing and tried to be a better player. I tried to not make the mistakes I did in Beijing, and I think today I did pretty well.”
Alcaraz advanced to face either 30th-seeded Daniel Evans of Great Britain or Russian-born Kazakhstan qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in the third round as he pursues his third ATP 1000 victory for the year.
Sinner, who is seeded sixth, outlasted Marcos Giron in the first set and posted a 7-6 (7), 6-2 triumph to secure his spot at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. Sinner held a 25-15 advantage in winners over Garon.
“I’m very happy. The (first) matches are never easy,” Sinner said. “I tried somehow to raise my level. I knew before the match that especially the first set was going to be tough and I started off not in the best possible way. I just tried to stay there, especially mentally. I got lucky when he had set point, so happy about the ending.
“If I see the positive, at the end of the match I played a little bit better so hopefully it gives me confidence for the next round.”
Also on Saturday, second-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia coasted to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Cristian Garin of Chile, and fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece notched a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ricky Hijikata of Australia.
No. 12 Tommy Paul cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 win over Sebastian Ofner of Austria, while 22nd-seeded Nicolas Jarry had a tougher time of it before dispatching Frenchman Terence Atmane, 7-5, 6-2.
Italian Matteo Arnaldi notched a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over 21st-seeded Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
–Field Level Media